Before 2010, the NFL deliberately avoided staging a Sunday night game that competed with the World Series. Nearly a decade later, it’s not much of a competition.
The Mahomes-less game between the Packers and Chiefs averaged 18.3 million viewers, according to NBC. The fifth game of the World Series averaged 11.4 million viewers. The 61-percent gap becomes the highest of the NFL vs. World Series rivalries.
The World Series generally has struggled this year; even a not-so-must-see Thursday night game between Washington and Minnesota outperformed each of the first four games of the World Series. Saturday night’s Game Four generated the second-lowest TV ratings for a World Series game ever.
Game Six of the World Series happens tonight.