As the NFL kicked off it’s first game of the regular season on Thursday evening, NFL ratings also dropped lower than ever before.
And to be completely clear of the football players intentions, the famous anthem protests began as well during the playing of the national anthem bring NFL ratings even lower.
Before the game even started, Marcus Peters sat on the training table to protest a message to his fans as he waded himself into political waters.
Fans were not happy with his actions, as NFL ratings clearly showed a decline. Many felt Peters was completely ungrateful as he disrespected our National Anthem in front of America.
Stand for what you stand in. If you see the potential for good, speak up. Don’t be Quiet. @Fam1stfam #adidasPharrellWilliams pic.twitter.com/zGWrCSqVtT
— Marcus Peters (@marcuspeters) September 7, 2017
There’s no honor in allowing ungrateful @NFL players to SIT during our National Anthem #Disgraceful #BoycottNFL #StandForAnthem @nflcommish pic.twitter.com/LxF8EsNY1X
— Montgomery Granger (@mjgranger1) September 8, 2017
From breitbart:
The NFL opened its 2017 season Thursday night, in much the same way that it played out the 2016 season. The game featured the team that won the final game of the year last season, the game was high-scoring with plenty of offense, the game featured an anthem protest, and the league’s NFL ratings went down.
The game between the Chiefs and the Patriots drew a 14.6 overnight rating on NBC. That rating is down nearly two full points from last year’s 16.5 number for the Panthers-Broncos opener, and more than three points down from the Steelers-Patriots opener in 2015.
Why, the steep decline?
While the ratings have clearly trended down for a number of seasons, last night’s game did feature an anthem protest from Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, and it’s entirely likely that many tuned-out after seeing that:
#Chiefs CB Marcus Peters sits on trainer’s bench during National Anthem. @SportsDailyKC @KCStar pic.twitter.com/5xnDLi4HqD
— David Eulitt (@davidphotokc) September 8, 2017
The sports media would gladly point the finger at politics, as the cause of the ratings drop. Though, no debate, or matter of pressing national importance was being discussed in politics on Thursday night. Some have opined that coverage of Hurricane Irma, might be the culprit. Though, it rings hollow that coverage of the storm would cause a 12% decline in ratings from last year.
Instead, it’s more likely that NFL fans are following through on their warnings of last year. Specifically, the warning where 44% of fans said they would stop watching the NFL if the anthem protests continued. That poll, backed-up by the J.D. Power survey which showedthat most fans cited the anthem protests as the main reason for why they stopped watching the league, might have a lot more to do with the ratings drop than Irma.