Ratings for Week 1 of the NFL season are out, and they are mixed. On Thursday, the NFL opening game between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs was down 19.2%, and the Sunday night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium was down 15% from last year. For the doubleheader Monday night football games, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants drew 10.76 million viewers, a decrease of 21%, and to cap off Week 1, the Denver Broncos hosted the Tennessee Titans drew 7.6 million viewers, down 38% from last year.
On the other hand, the Sunday matchup between Tom Brady debuting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints drew 25.8 million viewers, an increase of 7% from last year. Clearly, fans wanted to see how Brady would do in his first game without Bill Belichick. Tampa Bay lost to New Orleans 34-23. So, what has contributed to the ratings decline? It’s a combination of many things as to why people are turning off the television. On the one hand, it’s the politics that are driving people away, and on the other, it’s the slow play on the field.
The on-field product is slow and needs improving. Back in February, the XFL launched with new rules that would speed up the game. Rules such as the kickoff, shorter play clock, fewer commercials, and sideline interviews made it so much fun to watch. Games in the XFL were about two and a half hours compared to nearly four hours of play. The oversaturated rules, heavy commercials, and slow pace of play have made the game hard to watch. Audiences are missing the days when pre-games were fifteen minutes, not three hours before the games start. Fans are spending a whole day watching football when they could be doing something else. The XFL gave people that opportunity to enjoy a game and not take up the rest of their day.
This summer, politics have made its way into the sports world. Leagues have canceled games, allowed players to put criminal’s names on their helmets and jerseys, ignoring those who have served and protected this country. In 2016, five Dallas police officers were killed in an ambush attack. Then Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten wanted to honor those officers with a unique decal on his helmet; instead, the NFL told him no and not to get political. So why did the NFL tell him no, but chose to honor people who have a lengthy criminal history record? This does not sit well with fans at all, and you can’t blame them.
The fans have had enough of being told that they are racist if they don’t support Black Lives Matter. People have different opinions; they are not wrong, just different. Some people don’t take someone’s word, but investigate the facts and make their own decisions. The real truth is out there if only allowed to be heard. Audiences are questioning if these athletes even know what they are doing or just doing what they are told. Raise your fists, kneel when the anthem is played, collect your paycheck, and then do nothing to help solve the divide. Not all athletes are apart of this, they are in the minority, and Americans applaud you.
In this time where most people have lost their jobs or businesses are still closed, see athletes whining about wanting new contracts. How about honoring the contract they signed? Wouldn’t that be novel? Athletes actually living up to their contracts. They are tired of players complaining about wanting a new contract when they haven’t honored the one they have. No one seems to know what honor means. Thousands of people are struggling to get back on their feet due to the pandemic, and some of them are still not back to work.
The NFL and other major sports leagues have only themselves to blame for creating this mess. Don’t tell me that the reason the numbers were down is because people had too many sports to choose from. They turned off because of kneeling, fists raised, not coming out of the locker room for the National anthem, criminals on helmets, patches, end zone messages, and recorded political statements. Just like sponsors have forced a change in football teams, Fans are now boycotting those that sponsor the NFL with more to follow.
How about tuning into NASCAR? They open their races with prayer, singing of the National Anthem with their hats off and hand on their heart. They wave the American Flag, Back the Blue, Salute the Military, and do so much for charities. Now this is the sport to be watching and supporting.
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