The NFL is currently the most watched sport in America, but there has been a trend in the 2016 Season.  The ratings are rapidly dropping and nobody seems to truly know the real reason why.  

According to Variety, Cubs vs Indians Game 5 drew approximately 21.5 million viewers, while the Eagles vs Cowboys on Sunday Night Football drew 17.2 million viewers. It was the first time since 2011 the World Series outnumbered viewership over Sunday Night Football.

Yes this year’s World Series was an incredible matchup of Cubs vs Indians, two teams that were in a championship drought and was probably one of the best series in sports history, but the NFL has been unstoppable.  

I asked two seniors who are avid football fans: Jason Bagilore and Tamir Judeh.  

Bagliore said, “I think NFL ratings are dropping because the presidential election has taken up most of the audience.”

Tamir said, “Too many unnecessary restrictions on and off the field. Makes the game very boring and frustrating to watch.”

I believe the reason the ratings are dropping are a combination of many things, including it’s an election year with two of the most controversial candidates of all time, some players are taking a knee in the National Anthem, and the rule changes in the NFL, all of which makes players and the NFL hard to brand.  

The Election and players taking a knee during the National Anthem are two things the NFL can’t control because of the election year and the fact that you can’t force players to stand up even if gets fans upset or uncomfortable because that is not constitutional and American but one thing the NFL can control are the rules.

The NFL made rule changes this year where if you get two personal fouls you will be ejected from the games but some of the penalties the referee’s call are tedious.  Players have been flagged for trash talking or excessive celebration meanwhile these are things that the audience craves and it makes games more fun to watch when you see personality.  

On November 3rd, Richard Sherman, Super Bowl winning cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks said at his press conference, “Every other league, you see the players have a good time. It’s a game. This isn’t politics. This isn’t justice. This is entertainment. And they’re no longer allowing the players to entertain.”  

With so many prominent players like Peyton Manning, Marshawn Lynch, Calvin Johnson and many other stars retiring last year, the NFL needs to be trying to create more stars instead of just making players into robots.  

The NFL must bring change to the way the game if officiated and played in order to maintain their status as the #1 most viewed sport in America or else they’ll have to deal with repercussions.