NFL television ratings are down five percent from 2016 and nearly 19 percent from 2015, according to Nielsen data, Sporting News reported.
As the league scheduled steamed toward its midway point, the NFL is averaging 15.1 million viewers through Week 7, a 5.1 percent drop from the 15.87 million in 2016, the Nielsen data showed, per Sporting News, and viewership is off 18.7 percent from its high of 18.35 million viewers over the same period in 2015.
President Donald Trump pointed out sagging NFL ratings last month, suggesting as the reason the continued protests by NFL players during the national anthem before the games.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the Dallas Morning News last week that the protests were hurting the NFL's bottom line overall.
"There is no question," Jones said told the newspaper. "There is no question the league is suffering negative effects from these protests. I care about a lot of things, but our ability to be substantive is based on having a strong NFL, a league that people really are interested in and want to watch."
The protests began last season when then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat and then took a knee during the national anthem of his games to bring attention to alleged police brutality against African-Americans.
The protests spread to other players and reached an apex when Trump suggested in September that owners should fire players who take a knee. The Sunday after the comments, more than 200 players took a knee before games.
Houston Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson told TMZ Sports that players will continue despite the falling ratings.
"It may be messing with the ratings a little bit," Jackson told TMZ Sports. "It is what it is though. We feel how we feel and that's that. At the end of the day, [they are] peaceful protests and we're all about equality."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.