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Home • News

Are The National Anthem Protests Costing The NFL Millions?

NFL viewership is at an all time low. Are the protests to blame?
Are The National Anthem Protests Costing The NFL Millions?
John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images
By Toni Akindele · Updated October 26, 2020

Colin Kaepernick’s protest is making a tremendous impact. 

Not only did the football star use America’s “Star Spangled Banner,” to start a national conversation about racial injustice and inequality, he started a movement among athletes, empowering them to use their platforms to speak out.

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According to Forbes, NFL viewership is down by nearly one third, and while Sporting News believes this is due to the protests instigated by Kaepernick, the NFL attributes the loss in viewership to the “unprecedented interest in the Presidential election.”

“While our partners, like us, would have like to see higher ratings, they remain confident in the NFL and unconcerned about a long-term issue,” reads the statement from NFL senior executives Brian Rolapp and Howard Katz, who believe that football “continues to be far and away the most powerful programming on television and the best place for brands and advertisers.”

The executives add that in the last 15 years, the viewership have increased by twenty-seven percent. They also suggests that the drop could be due to the absences of notable players who are injured or have retired. 

 

TOPICS:  Issues