Fans appear to be unhappy with the new social-justice themed National Football League (NFL).
Breitbart reports that the NFL saw a drop in television ratings during Thursday’s season opener.
The new look
The NFL returned to television on Thursday with the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Houston Texans. The Chiefs won by a score of 34-20, but this was just one of the night’s insignificant details.
What dominated the night was the social justice message that the NFL attempted to impose on its watchers. It started with the National Anthem and the so-called Black National Anthem, which the NFL is now playing before games in an effort to combat perceived systemic racism.
The Texans decided to simply remain in the locker room during the playing of the Anthem, while the Chiefs stayed on the field standing arm-in-arm as both songs were played. When both teams did eventually make it onto the field, players joined arms in a “moment of unity.”
As that was all going on, the observant fan would have noticed a number of phrases painted onto the field, including “It Takes All of Us,” “End Racism,” and “BLM.”
When television coverage began but before kickoff, longtime NBC broadcast Chris Collinsworth continued the social justice-themed night.
“I feel like I have to start off by saying I stand behind these players 100%, 100%,” he said. “What they’re trying to do is bring positive change in this country that frankly is long, long overdue. Let’s just get that out of the way and go call a football game.”
Reactions
Fans at the game were clearly not happy with the proceedings. That was made plain during to “moment of unity” when they could be heard booing. Collinsworth received his criticism from social media with many users expressing their wish to just watch a football game.
But, perhaps, the biggest dissatisfaction was found on Thursday night among the NFL’s television audience. Deadline Hollywood reports, “. . . the ratings were down — a lot. In early numbers, the primetime NBC game scored a 5.2 among adults 18-49 and 16.4 million viewers between 8-11 p.m. ET.”
The outlet continued:
Now, those numbers for the 8:25-11:30 p.m. ET game will certainly be adjusted upward later, but right now they mark a 16.1% drop over the spectacle of the September 5, 2019 season opener in the advertiser-rich demographic. In an America and a NFL still adjusting to the new normal of live sports in the era of COVID-19, last night’s game also fell 16.1% in total sets of eyeballs from last year’s fast affiliate results.
Breitbart reports that these numbers represent a 10-year low for the NFL on NBC. We wonder when the sports world will get the hint: Americans just want to watch sports, not get a political opinion rammed down their throats!
The post Woke NFL opener sees ratings drop first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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