Kerby Anderson

Preseason football has arrived, and one of the big questions is, how political will football players be this year? David French in a recent commentary observed that, “When players get political, it turns out that fans can get political right back.”

The market-research company J.D. Power surveyed 9,200 fans. They found that “national anthem protests were the top reason that NFL fans watched fewer games last season.” Previous polls of fans (like the Reuters poll) came to similar conclusions.

Of course, there were other factors that affected viewership. The slow pace of the games was one reason. Off-field domestic violence incidents was another. But the most important factor for fans turning of NFL games was the anthem protests.

And let’s not forget that players like Colin Kaepernick did not just quietly kneel during the national anthem. He wore socks depicting “pigs in police hats.” He showed up at a press conference in a Fidel Castro T-shirt. And David French reminds us “sportswriters and commentators cheered him on.”

Those reactions are probably another reason why many fans not only turn off NFL games but also turn off sports channels. The leftward turn is something I have talked about in previous commentaries. David French quotes one individual who doubts whether a Paul Ryan-friendly sportswriter could keep his job. When Paul Ryan is too radical a figure for sports journalists, you can see where all of this might be heading.

Will players and sportswriters dial back their activism? I have my doubts. They are welcome to their opinions and the fans probably don’t mind some political commentary, when appropriate. But they certainly don’t want liberal politics thrown in their face constantly.

David French believes the market may save us. The market message these days is “keep politics out of sports.” My hope it that some of these players and sportswriters will listen to that message.