Subs Drop For ESPN, FS1 During October

As the NFL struggles with how to deal with the national anthem protests, the league’s ratings and stadium attendance is reaching new lows.

According to October Cable Coverage Estimates, ESPN lost over 15,000 subscribers every day during the month of October.

During October, ESPN lost a total of 480,000 subscribers, as players continued to kneel during the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

But it was not the only major cable sports giant to lose subscribers—FoxSports1, also lost 584,000 subscribers in the same month.

Some NFL fans have been turned off from the continuing trend of kneeling in protest during the anthem that was started in 2016 by currently unsigned Colin Kaepernick, who claimed he was protesting against “police brutality” and “racial injustice.” Critics argued that it was not the right time, nor the right venue, to inject politics into the formerly apolitical NFL.

An article by award-winning journalist James Andrew Miller for the Hollywood Reporter seemed to put the cherry on top, suggesting that ESPN might part ways with the NFL entirely after their current contract ends.