NFL ratings continued their downward spiral on Thursday after the Denver Broncos/ San Diego Chargers game drew a 9.9 overnight rating. Compared to the same Thursday night game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons in Week 6 of 2015, this marks a 5 percent drop in ratings. The conversation is definitely going to veer away from NFL lines into a more in-depth discussion on this issue.
Last week’s Thursday night Cardinals/49ers game drew a 6.7 overnight rating, so it’s worth noting that the ratings actually went up this week. That doesn’t change the fact that the NFL’s ratings, on the whole, keeping falling with each passing year.
The fact that the Sunday night and Monday night match-ups are so dull doesn’t help matters. But then again, maybe the NFL isn’t unique in its situation. Major League Baseball’s game five of the NLDS, Dodgers-Nationals, fell from a 5.8 rating last season to a 3.8 overnight on Thursday Night.
The idea that all the sports are suffering doesn’t hold much water, though, when you realize that the NHL’s season-opening slate of games on Wednesday actually saw a spike in TV ratings. The St. Louis Blues had their best overnight rating ever for an NBC Sports Network game.
The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings also saw a 34 percent improvement in ratings. The NHL seems to be seeing better early returns on its ratings than the NFL, whose numbers have dipped.
That doesn’t mean fans are choosing to watch the NHL over baseball or the NFL. Rather, some fans are simply choosing to not watch the NFL and Colin Kaepernick is one factor that is probably driving the trend.
His decision to so aggressively and diligently pursue his national anthem protest has alienated a lot of people. To a number of people, his refusal to stand during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner is disrespectful.
Of course, Colin isn’t the only reason the NFL is losing fans, but he might be a tipping point driving some fans away. A recent survey on the issue showed a surprising divide, along the lines of racial classification, regarding opinion on his protests.
A majority of Caucasians were staunchly opposed to Kaepernick’s actions, while most African-Americans stood behind Colin and his cause. The NFL has tried to downplay this issue.
In fact, the NFL has vocally disputed the idea that Kaepernick’s protests were actually affecting league’ ratings. Considering the racially charged and tension filled atmosphere that exists in the United States today, this claim is hard to believe.
There might be some truth to the idea that the election cycle, and the attention it attracts, is somehow biting into the NFL’s fanbase, but there still isn’t much evidence to justify that notion. Even if that were the case, Election Day will be here and over November 8th; meaning the NFL will have to come up with a new excuse for sagging ratings during the final weeks of the season.