Numbers Never Lie, Or Do They?

Amidst numerous protests around the NFL, the line between sports and politics is thinner now than it has ever been.
It has gotten to the point where many conservative sports fans have taken to boycotting the NFL, which under normal circumstances, wouldn’t make anyone blink. People have claimed to be boycotting the NFL for years, over what has been mostly mundane issues.
When it comes to the battle of the races in America, however, it seems that white conservatism is standing bold and true in its beliefs.
Last week, for the first time in years, Sunday Night Football was overtaken in ratings by Game 5 of the World Series.
For a bit of context, it should be recognized that while baseball is called America’s pastime by many, it is the least popular of the three major sports (football, basketball, and baseball) in the United States.
This occurrence leads to two very likely possibilities; either football is just historically bad right now, or protestors are finally showing the resolve to back up their convictions, regardless of how misguided they may or may not be.
Regardless of the reason, it is also relatively safe to say that the NFL does have a legitimate reason to be concerned over their race problem, now more than ever.
On the other hand, the other possibility has merit as well.
Chairman of CBS Sports, Sean McManus, has shared his own personal thoughts on why ratings are at an all-time low.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, McManus stated that, “adding 10 additional games to the Thursday Night package and two additional Sunday morning London games has clearly diluted the Sunday afternoon packages.”
While racial tensions may be playing a role in the decline in ratings, saying that they are the only reason would be naïve.
With football on three times a week, it is very easy to develop an oversaturation of NFL play.
Similarly, FOX CEO, James Murdoch, has also commented that the NFL needs to, “Think hard about their licensing.”
This is to say that Thursdays are the middle of the week and expecting people to take time out of their schedule three days a week to watch subpar football is insanity.
Murdoch also stated that, “protecting the scarcity value” is “worth thinking about”.
The truth of the matter is that there can be too much of a good thing. This is a fact that seems doubly true when it comes to football.
Lack of relation from NFL protests is something that FOX VP of research, Michael Mulvihill has publicly stated. “The anthem protests have been less of a factor than some people have claimed,” said Mulvihill.
Keep in mind that it is actually his job to track statistics and why they exist. If he says that anthem protests aren’t the main factor of a decline in NFL ratings, then I am inclined to believe him.
Baseball, as patriotic of a sport it is, has no business topping Sunday Night Football with the greatest athletes on the face of the Earth.
Regardless of what the numbers say, it is clear that more people preferred to watch baseball over football, and that is just facts.
While you can place the blame where you feel it belongs, the fact still remains that the NFL played second fiddle to an inferior sport. And what the numbers say takes precedence over what any one person says, because at the end of the day, men lie, and women lie, but numbers don’t.