All last week, the Media Research Center and its various divisions had been promoting the boycott of last Sunday’s NFL games, as demanded by MRC chief Brent Bozell:
Protesting the National Anthem not only distracts from the sport that pays these players millions but, more importantly, disrespects the men and women of the military who risk their lives to allow them that opportunity. This is a spectacle designed to score political points, and the public is sick and tired of it. People tune in to football to enjoy themselves, not to have to subject themselves to attacks on our flag because spoiled players don’t like the politics of our president. The public needs to have its voice heard. This Sunday, October 1st, I ask football fans to support our flag and turn off the NFL. One week without football to support our flag. We should not continue to give attention to players who refuse to show respect for our great nation.
But the MRC has been silent this week on how Bozell’s boycott went, and it can’t be because the Las Vegas mass shooting pushed it out of the news. Tell us what happened, actual news outlet:
The kneeling-related boycott of the NFL hasn’t fully materialized.
Fox’s NFL coverage netted a 12.6 rating and 26 share, a 14% increase over its Week 4 coverage a year ago. The network broadcast one game nationally on Sunday and the ratings were about 20% better than CBS’ singleheader coverage in Week 4 of 2016.
Fox had the top-rated NFL broadcast of the weekend and its best singleheader telecast since 2015, the network announced on Monday.About a third of the country saw the Los Angeles Rams’ 35-30 upset of Dallas Cowboys with the rest of the country seeing regional coverage, including the Carolina Panthers’ victory over the New England Patriots.
Excluding Week 1, where both viewership and the ability to gather ratings were impacted by Hurricane Irma, Fox reported its ratings had increased 1% over a year ago.
CBS saw a ratings decline due to Fox’s stronger games, and NBC’s Sunday night game heald steady compared to last year. ESPN’s Monday night game saw a big drop from last year, but that appears to be the result of a lackluster matchup involving a small-market team.
It seems nobody listened to Bozell demanding that we #TurnOffNFL — they turned Bozell off instead.