That’s because fans want to watch sports, not be lectured on politics.
Deadline reports
Putting on the two teams with big national followings, SNF snared a 4.7 in early ratings among adults 18-49 and 14.81 million viewers last night.
In numbers certain to change, that’s a fall of 28% in the ratings and a hard decline of 23% in sets of eyeballs from whatthe September 8, 2019 official start ofSNF snagged in the early numbers of its opening game of last season. While the early Nielsen data lacks West Coast numbers, which is kind of important when you have a team from the mega-market of LA playing, this result is going to be hard pill for the NFL and NBC to swallow.
These results are disastrous for the NFL. Not just because the numbers themselves are bad, but because of the teams that played on Sunday Night Football. The Dallas Cowboys have possible the largest national fan following in the country, and the Los Angeles Rams play in the second largest media market in the country. In addition, both teams have star talent and are very competitive with playoff aspirations for this season. By all measures, the game should have performed extremely well in the ratings.