The NFL in recent years has "gone from being one of the most unifying institutions in America to the country’s most polarizing sports brand," according to Mark Leibovich of the N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE. In a season in which sponsorships "were jeopardized, boycotts were threatened, blacklists against players were suspected, tickets and jerseys were burned and ratings and attendance were down," the most "potent oligarchy in American sports would have its power structure shaken, and arrive at the end of the season wondering: Was 2017 an anomaly or the future?" It is "debatable how large a share of the blame" NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "personally deserved for this trajectory." But division was the "inescapable theme that came up" among players, owners and league officials interviewed by Leibovich. Steelers President Art Rooney II: “There’s no question, this season has been probably unlike anything that I’ve been around." President Trump and Vice President Pence disapproving of player protests "most certainly appealed to a vocal subset of NFL fans" that "booed kneeling players and called for boycotts." Rooney said, “No one was expecting this to happen, and it was hard to see coming. I think there was no question it hurt the league.” Owners and league officials said that Goodell was "more supportive of the protesting players than they would have expected." He "resisted pressure to enforce a 'stand for the anthem' mandate from more conservative owners" and the league pledged to the Players Coalition that it would donate $89M over seven years to social-justice organizations. Leibovich notes the anthem protests "dragged certain owners into a spotlight they would otherwise be reluctant to occupy" and "forced them to take a public position on a matter where any position would anger a lot of people, be they ticket-holders or players." While Goodell and the NFL "may have survived" this season, the league seems to be "at the mercy of very uncertain and uncontrollable events in the future" (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, 2/4 issue).
TROUBLE ISN'T GOING AWAY: The WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Diamond & Beaton cite a new WSJ/NBC News poll that shows the NFL’s core audience is “losing interest rapidly, a potential threat to the league’s dominant role in American culture.” Fans are “following the sport less closely, even in key demographics, such as young men, that historically propelled the league’s growth.” Adults who follow the NFL closely have dropped 9% since ‘14, but “more alarming for the league” is the “makeup of the people moving away from the NFL in large numbers.” Just 51% of men 18-49 say they “follow the NFL closely, down from 75% four years ago.” The drops also “crossed political lines.” Base Democrats who follow the league closely “fell by 16 points versus four years ago, while it was 14 points for base Republicans.” The poll also revealed that parents are “increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of their kids playing football, prompted by a surge in information about the dangers of head injuries.” The poll interviewed 900 adults from Jan. 13-17 with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.27 (WSJ.com, 2/2). In N.Y., Joe Drape writes under the header, “’The American Dilemma’: Why Do We Still Watch Football?” Drape wonders if it is “morally wrong” to watch the game in wake of increasing evidence the game causes long-term health problems. CTE has “been found in the brain of one dead NFL player after another,” and published studies have “found a correlation between the total number of years one plays tackle football and the likelihood of one’s developing brain disease later in life.” Drape: “Still, we shrug.” Stories of concussions “do not affect viewership of the game” for 77% of fans, according to the annual Burson-Marsteller Super Bowl survey (NYTIMES.com, 2/2).
ENJOY THE GAME? A CHARLOTTE OBSERVER editorial states football over the past year has "become a kind of Rorschach test for patriotism after dozens of NFL players participated in a peaceful protest of kneeling during the national anthem to highlight racial inequality." That is why Sunday would be a wonderful time to "enjoy the camaraderie Super Bowl Sunday can bring." Even if that camaraderie "lasts only a few hours, it’s a welcome respite" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/2).
