The conclusion of the election apparently will make the NFL’s ratings great again. Sort of.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump, at a Sunday rally in Colorado, offered two theories for the league’s struggles to get people to enjoy pro football games on TV in the same numbers they did a year ago.
“The NFL is way down in their ratings. And you know why? Two reasons. Number one is this politics they’re finding is a much rougher game than football and more exciting, and this — honestly we’ve taken a lot of people away from the NFL. And the other reason is [Colin] Kaepernick.”
The election likely isn’t hurting the NFL’s ratings significantly, because the election isn’t affecting college football ratings. As to the national anthem protests, it’s hard to separate those who claim they’re not watching as a way to voice displeasure with the protests from those who actually aren’t watching for that reason.
Whatever the reasons, the NFL has the resources and the incentive to identify them, and to pursue measures aimed at pumping the numbers up.