A third of NFL TV viewers refuse to watch the games as a result of player protests against the national anthem led by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a new poll says.
The poll numbers surfaced just as NFL ratings plunged for a 4th week in a row.
According to Rasmussen’s telephone/online survey of 1,000 American adults conducted between Oct. 2-3, just 13 percent of viewers claimed they were more likely to watch an NFL game because of the protests, but 52 percent claim the protests have no effect on their NFL viewing habits.
Around 28 percent of African-American respondents claim they’re more likely to view an NFL game because of the protests as opposed to only eight percent of whites and 16 percent of minorities in general.
“I can tell you for certain that I’m not watching because of Colin Kaepernick and his idiot protest that is now spreading to high school games. You can try to dream up other reasons, but you’re just fooling yourself,” NFL TV viewer “Ronald” told CBS Boston’s sports writer Matt Dolloff.
Football fan named “Richard” wrote in part, “We’ve been on full boycott of NFL since day one. I will not support those who support the exiled in Cuba cop killer or any anti-American, pro-cop-murder, organization. I may never return to NFL consumption.”
Additionally, viewership for game coverage is down. Sports Business Daily reports CBS’ “Thursday Night Football” is down 15 percent while NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” is down 10 percent.