The NFL and ESPN — two of the most notable franchises in all of sports — are failing harder than LSU students in Calculus class.
The NFL has seen double-digit dips in its Nielsen ratings numbers, and ESPN lost 621,000 subscribers in October — the biggest drop in company history.
Why are these once-invincible corporations struggling?
Pundits speculate that the NFL had to compete with coverage of a historic presidential election and the World Series. However, most believe that Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest has led to the significant plummet in ratings.
Although all of these theories are plausible, I think the biggest blow to the NFL’s fanbase is the fact that professional football is so darn boring.
For years, fans have complained that the NFL lacks competitive fire, but it’s hard to be competitive when there is such talent gaps between teams.
Take this week’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings for example. The Cowboys are 10-1 and is ranked fourth in the league for total offense, while the 6-5 Vikings are dead last in the same category.
I can’t wait to waste four hours of my life watching such a marquee matchup!
ESPN has seen its stock drop for different reasons.
The first is that people are tired of “the worldwide leader in sports” spending so much of its time and resources covering off-field issues.
People tune in to ESPN to see highlights of the day’s sports games, but instead fans get heaping helpings of who Cavaliers forward Lebron James unfollowed on Twitter and why Saints wide receiver Willie Snead dyed his hair.
No, I’m not making this up — ESPN actually wasted time covering both topics.
ESPN also has a political problem.
When Americans get off of a long day at work, they want to be entertained. Some turn to sports to escape the nauseating political debates on the various news networks.
Unfortunately for these folks, ESPN loves discussing the hot-button issues that people try to escape.
To make matters worse, the sports network is notorious for leaning to the left on the polarizing issues, and now they are paying the price.
In the past, ESPN has advocated for gun control and has placed controversial figures like Caitlyn Jenner on a pedestal.
Whichever end of the political spectrum you fall under, you have to believe that a sports network taking any stance on such matters is utterly ridiculous.
As political commentator Ben Shapiro notes, if ESPN doesn’t change soon, “They’ll have MSNBC’s ratings along with their worldview.”