That's Going to Hurt: 34 Percent of Americans Are Less Likely to Watch NFL Games Due to Anthem Protests

Katie Pavlich | September 25, 2017 2:15 PM

As you've probably seen by now, hundreds of NFL players refused to stand for the National Anthem over the weekend.

Pittsburgh Steelers player and former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva chose to stand alone as the rest of his team cowered in the locker room. He was cheered, the rest of the players were loudly booed when they eventually entered the stadium.

But according to a new poll, the League is going to pay for it. From Rasmussen:

As the National Football League struggles to explain this season’s downturn in viewer ratings, 34% of American Adults say they are less likely to watch an NFL game because of the growing number of protests by players on the field. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 12% are more likely to watch, while 50% say the protests have no impact on their viewing decisions.

Even when you add in the 12 percent of people will watch more games as a result of the protests, it still amounts to a potential 22 percent overall ratings decrease. Considering ratings were down 10 percent last year, that's a significant number.

According to a poll released in July by J.D. Power, the number one reason why fans tuned out of games last season was because of protests against the American flag and the National Anthem.

National anthem protests were the top reason that NFL fans watched fewer games last season, according to a new survey released by J.D. Power.

The pollster said it asked more than 9,200 people who attended either one football, basketball or hockey game whether they tuned into fewer games and why. Twenty-six percent of those who watched fewer games last season said that national anthem protests, some of which were led by Colin Kaepernick, were the reason.

After that, 24 percent of those surveyed who said they watched fewer games said they did so either because of the league's off-the-field image issues with domestic violence or with game delays, including penalties.