NFL blames Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton for TV ratings dip

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

No matter which side you’re on, this year’s presidential election has undeniably overwhelmed conversation across the country for months.

And the NFL believes the election is why its TV ratings are down.

The NFL sent a memo to teams, obtained by multiple media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, that outlined reasons for the ratings decline early this season. And the attention to this year’s presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton seemed to be the league’s top reason. The league wrote to teams that the falling ratings are due, in part, to “unprecedented interest in the Presidential election.” They cited a similar ratings decline in 2000, when George W. Bush and Al Gore were campaigning.

The clearest effect the election has had on the NFL came in Week 3, when a game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons posted record-low ratings for “Monday Night Football.” That game was broadcast against the first debate between Trump and Clinton. There’s another debate slated for Sunday night, when the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants will be playing. It’s hard to figure why the election would take away from football ratings at any other time, say Sunday afternoon or Thursday night, though the NFL clearly believes it is playing a part.

What is noteworthy is that the NFL felt the need to address the television ratings issue with their teams. Bloomberg News reported that the ratings have dipped so far, the league has had to offer “make-goods,” usually delivered in the form of credits, to advertisers. But the league expressed that there’s no worry about this becoming a trend. NFL senior executives Brian Rolapp and Howard Katz wrote that the league’s partners “remain confident in the NFL and unconcerned about a long-term issue,” according to the WSJ.

One thing the NFL does not believe is affecting ratings is the national anthem protests by players, started by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the preseason.

“In fact, our own data shows that the perception of the NFL and its players is actually up in 2016,” the NFL wrote, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!