Recent reports have shown that conservatives are turning away from American staple sports, namely football and basketball, even as those seasons gear up for what should be their most profitable months.
This trend began circa 2016, and made its way into the 2017 season for many reasons. The big sports channels such as ESPN and Fox Sports have also been largely affected, although they do not seem to have truly considered the effects of how their broadcasts are affecting America.
If the example of Target is any indication, angry conservatives know how to boycott things they don’t like – this is no Black Lives Matter protest. Let’s take a look at what is causing the dip in ratings, and what will probably happen if sports broadcast networks and professional leagues don’t shape up very quickly.
Colin Kaepernick
The former San Francisco 49ers second string quarterback is now fully unemployed because of his antics last year. By causing a virtual firestorm in the media after refusing to stand for the national anthem during games, this relatively unsuccessful quarterback also kicked off a season of political games that are just now ending themselves.
Liberals rejoiced when after the initial protest, meant to speak out against police brutality and other social ills, caused Kaepernick jerseys to briefly become the most popular selling NFL product in the league. 49ers ownership briefly capitulated as well, donating $1 million to an anti-police organization to quell the controversy. Of course, the controversy was not quelled, and the exodus of Americans from football continued.
The 49ers did not do especially well that year, even as Kaepernick was eventually promoted to the starting slot. Ownership also suffered a loss with ticket sales, which carried over into concessions and swag as well. In short, the 49ers took a financial loss that was not be worth trading for their substandard quarterback. He was let go in the middle of his $100 million contract, and he has yet to be picked up by another team.
The media was just as guilty as 49ers ownership during this debacle. Sports channels tried their best to become political channels off-the-cuff, and many games were interrupted by sideline analysts or even color commentators stopping their analysis of the game to make some political point for one side or another. Regardless on which political side the point was made, the discussion took away from the enjoyment of the game overall. One could definitely assume that this was a huge part of the diminished ticket sales and attention on last year’s football season.
Lavar Ball
ESPN and other sports channels seem to be making the Kaepernick mistake again this year with the Ball family, an admittedly talented clan of three brothers who are all excelling at their level of play (college and high school). The problem is not necessarily the kids; it is the father, Lavar Ball.
Mr. Ball has taken it upon himself to declare his first son, a standout basketball player at UCLA, the equal of Michael Jordan and Lebron James. He also created waves by manufacturing his own line of shoes before his son had even been considered as a draft pick for the NBA.
ESPN and other sports channels jumped on the political controversy rather than sticking with the athleticism of the kids who were actually planning on the court, and Lavar Ball quickly became the center of many news cycles. As a result, many salt of the earth conservatives are moving away from the world of college basketball as well.
Media’s Stupid Mistakes
It is not difficult to see the effect of sports channels trying to be political channels, and on top of that, serving a confused political ideology.
Fox should be especially ashamed of itself – it already has a brand that is very good at upholding the conservative narrative. Its sports anchors should be just that – sports anchors. There is hardly enough time to train them in the nuanced art of presenting proper talking points when they are supposed to be giving stats and updates on player conditions.
The moral of the story: Get back to sports, ESPN. Get back to sports, Fox Sports. If you do not do this, you can expect to lose more money from your core audience. We come to you to forget about problems in this country for just a minute, not to be reminded of them.
~ Liberty Planet
