DRIP DRIP DRIP – AT 8:48 P.M. ET:  The ratings are now all in for the NFL's Thanksgiving contests, and they are not good.   The league is experiencing a steady drip drip drip, thanks in part to its botched handling of protests by some players, who've shown disrespect for the national anthem by "taking a knee" as it's being performed.

League officials have let the protests get out of hand, and viewers clearly don't like what they're seeing.  In addition, the league's casual handling of injuries to football player,s and the clearly demonstrated dangers of the sport, has not gone down well with fans.  From the Washington Times:

For most, watching the NFL on Thanksgiving is the same as eating turkey on the holiday — you can’t go without it. This year, that might have changed.

NFL ratings were down on Thanksgiving, according to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King and Pro Football Talk.

The early game, a matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings, saw its ratings fall 12.3 percent compared to last year’s Lions-Vikings game. The number is also down 7.3 from the Eagles-Lions in 2015. But the Vikings-Lions still drew an 11.3 rating.

The next game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers saw the biggest drop-off in one year. Cowboys-Chargers drew a 12.4 rating, but it was down nearly 20 percent from last year’s Redskins-Cowboys game.

Speaking of the Redskins, Sunday’s night snoozer with the New York Giants grabbed a 9.7 rating, down 10 percent — and nearly 34 percent from 2015.

Lower ratings have plagued the NFL all season long.

COMMENT:  This can't go on if the NFL expects to maintain its standing.  Football largely replaced baseball as the national pastime, but that process may now be moving in reverse.  Baseball is a relatively safe game, and its players have not decided to become politicians.

Another factor must be mentioned, although it is delicate.  Football is becoming the black game, and baseball is becoming the white game.  Some 70 percent of NFL players are African-American.  Meanwhile, black representation in baseball is declining.  Are non-blacks being driven away from football by racial division, symbolized by "taking a knee"?  I don't know, but we'll have to face that reality.

We may be watching the death of a professional sport?

November 27, 2017