Sports in America are have become incredibly unpopular.
According to polling data from Gallup, only 30% of Americans have a positive view of sports, 40% have a negative view and 29% are neutral. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
In the first half of August of 2019, sports had a 45% approval rating. From July 30 to August 12, 2020, sports had an approval rating of 30%. That’s a -15% swing in a matter of a year.
Among adults in the same time period, sports went from a +20 net positivity to -10, which is a -30 swing.
Well, I guess people sure don’t like it when sports get super political. Who could have ever seen this coming?
Who could have ever guessed that if sports became super political, then people would tune out? I mean, how did nobody know this would happen?
Orlando Magic player Jonathan Isaac stood alone for the national anthem.
This is what courage looks like. When the rest of the NBA took a knee, Isaac stood with pride for America.
Sometimes, when you stand for what is right, you must stand alone. pic.twitter.com/fl4cb2qbtF
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) July 31, 2020
Cleary, I’m being sarcastic. People turning away from sports once they became political was super obvious to anyone paying attention.
People want to watch athletes compete, cheer on their respective squads and have a few drinks along the way. We don’t want to get lectured by millionaire athletes or listen to national anthem debates.
All players, coaches and refs take a knee and lock arms during the national anthem before the Lakers-Clippers game. pic.twitter.com/eZ9RHE3eh7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 31, 2020
That should be obvious. Clearly, it’s not, and the popularity of sports in America is paying a huge price.