Interest in NFL Season Tumbles Among Trump Supporters

Fans who tuned into Thursday night’s NFL season opener between the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans got the first look at how the NFL and its players plan to recognize the current moment in the fight against racial inequality, as well as how fans might respond.

Following the police killing of George Floyd in late May, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear the league planned to embrace social justice activism more than ever before. But the politicization of sports following a summer of polarizing protests against police brutality and racial inequality appears to have dampened enthusiasm ahead of the 2020 NFL season.

In a Morning Consult poll conducted prior to Thursday night’s game, 38 percent of U.S. adults said they were less interested in the NFL this year than in previous seasons, while 21 percent said they were more interested in the NFL than in past years.

The dip in interest is particularly pronounced among the most ardent supporters of President Donald Trump, who has in recent months regularly tweeted criticism of the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell for embracing social justice activism. Among those with a “very favorable” opinion of Trump, 47 percent said they were less interested in the 2020 season.

Resistance to the co-mingling of activism and sports was on full display ahead of Thursday night’s opener. When members of the Chiefs and Texans linked arms at midfield prior to Thursday night’s game for a moment of silence “dedicated to the ongoing fight for equality in our country,” an audible chorus of boos emanated from the limited crowd of 15,895 fans at Arrowhead Stadium.

Early viewership data for the game, in which the Chiefs beat the Texans 34-20, shows a 16 percent year-over-year drop in the overall audience and in the key 18-to-49 demographic from 2019’s season opener between the Bears and Packers, according to Deadline Hollywood.