Brett Favre tells President Trump: 'Fans clearly do not want political messaging mixed with their sports'



Brett Favre has an idea why sports leagues are experiencing historically low TV ratings — politics.

President Donald Trump participated in a presidential election town hall event for Sinclair Broadcasting this week. During Wednesday's Q&A event that was hosted by political commentator Eric Bolling, Trump was greeted by his friend and golfing buddy Brett Favre.

The former Green Bay Packers star quarterback said it would be for the best to keep politics out of professional sports.

"The NBA and the NFL are struggling with lower ratings, as fans clearly do not want political messaging mixed with their sports," Favre said during the town hall, then asked, "So how should the leagues support and promote an anti-racism position without becoming political and alienating fans?"

Trump agreed with the Hall of Fame NFL QB.

"People don't want to see all of the politics," Trump replied. "They've got enough politics, with me and with everybody else. And they don't want to see it with football or sports, on Sunday or whenever they happen to be watching."

"I think it's had a huge impact on sports, a huge negative impact on sports," the president said. "And I think that football ought to get back to football and basketball to basketball. And let politics remain separate."

Trump noted that the NBA's ratings are "down 70%, more than that."

In September, Trump commented on the poor TV ratings that the NBA was experiencing.

"People are tired of watching the highly political @NBA," Trump tweeted. "Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won't be coming back. I hope football and baseball are watching and learning because the same thing will be happening to them. Stand tall for our Country and our Flag!!!"

The NBA went hard in the paint with social justice messaging once the basketball league returned to after the suspended season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During its bubble format regular season and playoffs at Disney World, "Black Lives Matter" was painted on the court, and players wore approved messages on their jerseys, such as "Power to the people," "I Can't Breathe," and "Anti-Racist."

The NBA Finals averaged only 7.45 million viewers during the six-game series this year, easily making it the least-watched Finals on record.

In the first week of the 2020 NBA playoffs, ESPN, ABC, and TNT averaged just 1.875 million viewers per game, TV ratings were down 20% compared to 2019.

Following the poorly-rated NBA Finals, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that "Black Lives Matter" messages will likely not be displayed on the court or on players' jerseys next season.

NFL ratings were down 10% through the first four weeks of this season.

Game 1 of the Rays-Dodgers World Series had the worst TV ratings of all-time.

NBA Finals ratings nose-dive, officially become least-watched on record



Apparently a fan-less "bubble" court with "Black Lives Matter" painted on it was not a recipe for success for NBA ratings this year.

What are the details?

According to Nielsen viewership ratings, the NBA Finals averaged just 7.45 million viewers over the course of six games this year, easily making it the least-watched Finals on record, Outkick reported Tuesday.

That's with the series featuring the league's biggest star, LeBron James, continuing his quest for six championships (to tie Michael Jordan) and playing with one of the league's premiere franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yet as the Lakers capped off the series against the Miami Heat on Sunday, only 8.29 million people watched. For context, that was only slightly more than half the number of people who watched NBC's Sunday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings. The regular season football game earned 15.1 million viewers.

For even more context, the NBA Finals average of 7.45 million viewers dropped more than 50% from last year's Finals average of 15.14 million viewers and even paled in comparison to the new runner-up for least-watched Finals, which averaged 9.29 million viewers. According to OutKick, that was in 2007, when the San Antonio Spurs swept the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers.

On Monday, President Trump mocked the ratings drop on Twitter, saying, "Maybe they were watching in China, but I doubt it. Zero interest!"

Viewership for NBA Finals Finale Crash Nearly 70%, Beaten by Random Sunday Night Football Game… https://t.co/X1v1hqFUk6
— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1602533659.0

What else?

The Finals continued the trend of low viewership that plagued the league during the entirety of this year's playoffs. News broke in September that playoff ratings were down 20% from the previous year, while a subsequent poll found that 38% of fans weren't watching due to the league becoming "too political."

In the aftermath of George Floyd's death in late May, the league and players' union agreed to paint "Black Lives Matter" on the courts and allow racial justice messages to be displayed on the back of players' jerseys.

Though there are likely a variety of reasons for the ratings drop besides the political messaging, such as the off-season schedule and the lack of fans, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged last week that politics was likely at least part of the reason.

"I understand those people who are saying 'I'm on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game,'" Silver said in announcing that the messages on courts and on jerseys will likely be pulled next year.

"My sense is there'll be somewhat a return to normalcy — that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor," he said.

NBA likely to pull BLM messages from courts, jerseys next season



NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Tuesday that when the league returns to play next season, Black Lives Matter messages will likely not be displayed on the court or on players' jerseys as they have been this season.

Silver made the remarks during an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Florida. During the interview, he said that despite the league being "completely committed to standing for social justice and racial equality," how exactly that commitment is manifested is "something we're gonna have to sit down with the players and discuss."

"I would say, in terms of the messages you see on the court and our jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time when we began these discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer," Silver continued. "My sense is there'll be somewhat a return to normalcy — that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor."

Adam Silver talks NBA bubble, when next season could start | NBA Countdown youtu.be

Though Silver did not explicitly say that the messages would be removed due to a significant drop in viewership this year, he did admit that backlash to the messages from some fans played a role.

"I understand those people who are saying 'I'm on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game,'" he acknowledged.

The league has seen its viewership drop enormously during the NBA playoffs and especially during the NBA Finals. In September, news broke that playoff ratings were down 20% from the previous year and, according to a subsequent poll, 38% of fans said they're not watching because the league has become "too political."

Things only got worse from there as Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat earned the lowest viewership ever for a Finals game. That record was then broken as couple days later when the ratings for Game 2 were lower still, then was broken again just days later when Game 3 attracted even fewer viewers.

It should be noted that nearly all major sports have experienced a ratings decline in 2020 as off-schedule seasons and empty arenas have proven to be significant drawbacks for viewers. Given the confluence of events, it is difficult to determine precisely why fewer people are watching.

With that said, however, the NBA commissioner's comments seem to show that he is at least partially convinced that the league's overt BLM messaging is financially problematic.

'You are so full of s**t': Mark Cuban lashes out at Ted Cruz in fiery online feud over low NBA ratings



Billionaire investor Mark Cuban lashed out at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) after he criticized the politicization of the NBA and the failed ratings that followed.

Cruz mocked the NBA after ratings for the Finals registered a historical low at the end of an overtly politicized season.

"Not surprising. Personally speaking, this is the first time in years that I haven't watched a single game in the NBA Finals. #GoWokeGoBroke," Cruz tweeted on Tuesday.

Cuban took exception as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.

"A US Senator with 3 @NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses to do poorly," tweeted Cuban.

A US Senator with 3 @NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses t… https://t.co/R50289kBjJ
— Mark Cuban (@Mark Cuban)1601996912.0

"This is who you are @tedcruz . Every minute of your life, this is exactly who you are," he added.

Cruz fired back at Cuban, who has a history of targeting Cruz for acidic criticism.

"I love @HoustonRockets & have rooted for them my entire life. I happily cheer for the Spurs & Mavericks against any non-TX team," tweeted Cruz.

I love @HoustonRockets & have rooted for them my entire life. I happily cheer for the Spurs & Mavericks against any… https://t.co/UQBS8fpX2E
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz)1601997525.0

"But @mcuban the NBA is engaged in a concerted effort to (1) insult their fans & (2) turn every game into a left-wing political lecture," he added. "That's dumb."

Cuban tossed out an expletive in his insulting retort.

"You are so full of s**t. You haven't watched a game of the finals, how would you know what is being said or done? Since when is a desire to end racism an insult to anyone or political? And you don't think using #GetWokeGoBroke is a partisan insult? Again, this is who you are," Cuban tweeted.

Cruz replied with a reminder that Cuban could not bring himself to criticize the communist Chinese government, which partners with the NBA to grow their profits, even as he pushed for social justice causes.

"I wish @mcuban loved his fans as much as he loves Chinese money," tweeted Cruz.

Shame on me for putting American Civil Rights and Justice, creating jobs, growing our economy and healthcare reform… https://t.co/GSKF2qOAPm
— Mark Cuban (@Mark Cuban)1602000245.0

"Shame on me for putting American Civil Rights and Justice, creating jobs, growing our economy and healthcare reform over twitter proclamations," replied Cuban.

The NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat resumes on Tuesday evening with the Lakers ahead in the series, 2 games to 1.

Here's more about Cruz slamming Cuban over Chinese influence:

Sen. Ted Cruz Says NBA Ain't 'Woke' Until League Stands Up to China | TMZ Sportswww.youtube.com

NBA Finals Game 1 ratings plunge to the lowest viewership in history



Game 1 of the NBA Finals experienced its lowest ratings since records were kept. Ratings for the first game of the NBA Finals plunged nearly 50% since last year.

The 2020 NBA Finals features the illustrious Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most beloved and hated franchises in the association, with a star-studded roster boasting LeBron James and Anthony Davis going head-to-head against the Cinderella story Miami Heat.

Despite the intriguing matchup, many sports fans were not interested in watching Game 1 of the Finals on Wednesday. Game 2 is at 9 p.m. ET Friday night.

Game 1 averaged a lowly 4.1 rating and 7.41 million viewers on ABC, "comfortably the lowest rated and least-watched NBA Finals game on record (dates back to 1988)," according to Sports Media Watch. For comparison, Fox's reality TV singing competition "The Masked Singer" pulled in 6.932 million viewers on Wednesday night.

The previous all-time low came in Game 2 of the 2003 NBA Finals between the New Jersey Nets and the San Antonio Spurs with a 5.2 rating and 8.06 million viewers.

Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals plummeted 48% in the ratings from last year's Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors, and down an abysmal 59% from 2018's Finals opener featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.

The NBA Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Denver Nuggets plummeted 41% from a "comparable outing between the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers in 2019."

Last week's Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and Boston Celtics averaged 4.48 million viewers, down 15% from a "comparable game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors in 2019, and 44%from a Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics showdown from 2018."

During the first week of the 2020 NBA playoffs, ESPN, ABC, and TNT averaged 1.875 million TV viewers per game, down 20% compared to 2019.

"From 2012 to 2020, broadcast NBA ratings are down 45%," according to Outkick.

The disappointing playoff ratings come at a time when the NBA has become more vocal about social justice and activism. Following the coronavirus shutdown, the NBA has enacted a policy of allowing players to select from 29 league-approved social activism messages on their jerseys such as "Black Lives Matter," "I Can't Breathe," and "Anti-Racist."

The NBA painted "Black Lives Matter" on its bubble basketball court in Orlando.

On Wednesday, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert publicly condemned China for allegedly operating concentration camps. Gobert made the comments despite facing possible backlash from the league and fellow players, much like Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey experienced after posting one tweet in October 2019 showing support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Americans' opinion of the sports industry has declined sharply in the past year, according to a Gallup poll. People who had a very or somewhat positive view of the sports industry fell 15 points in 2020.

Gallup: Americans' opinion of the sports industry has plummeted in the past year



Americans' opinion of the sports industry has plunged in the past year, according to a recent Gallup poll. Of the 25 U.S. industry sectors examined, only the federal government (-20) and the pharmaceutical industry (-15) had a worse net negative rating than the sports industry (-10). In fact, more people had a very positive or somewhat positive view on pharmaceuticals (34) than the sports industry (30).

A two-week polling sample from August 2019 was compared to a two-week sample in August 2020, and Americans' opinion of the sports industry declined drastically. There was a drop of 15 points in people who had a very or somewhat positive view of the sports industry, which edged out the travel industry that fell 11 points for the bottom spot.

Based on the recent survey of 1,031 American adults, only 30% of people view the sports industry in a positive light, compared to 40% of Americans who have a negative point of view. In 2019, 45% of Americans held positive feelings for the sports industry and only 25% viewed it negatively.

The nosedive in favorability comes as sports leagues have embraced social justice movements, including Black Lives Matter. The backlash is evident in political bases with positive views from Republicans crashing from +11 in 2019 to -35 in 2020, a devastating 46-point drop. Independents are also shunning sports; going from +26 in 2019 to -10 in 2020, a significant 36-point decrease. Democrats saw a slight decrease from +16 positive rating to a +11 rating.

Non-whites Americans' positive opinions of the sports industry plummeted from +51 last year to only +16 this year, a 35-point decline. White Americans went from +4 in 2019 to -22 in 2020, a 26-point drop in positive outlook.

"Sports has been acutely affected by the twin events steering news and culture in 2020: the pandemic and the renewed movement for racial justice," Gallup wrote. "The sports industry's relationship with fans has been disrupted by the need to shrink its seasons and schedules and play to empty venues as a means of keeping fans and players safe."

"At the same time, the greater social and political activism of players and, in some cases now, coaching staffs and entire leagues appears to have turned off Americans who disagree with their messages or the way they express them," the article read. "The net effect at this point has been negative for the industry's image."

TV ratings also show fans' frustrations in sports this year. The NFL suffered a double-digit ratings drop for its season opener that featured an overwhelming amount of social justice activism.

NBA ratings are down 20% during the playoffs. One poll found that 38% of fans are not watching the NBA because it's "too political."

NBA ratings down 20%; poll finds 38% of fans not watching the NBA because it's 'too political'



After months of no sporting events, many believed that fans would be flocking to their televisions in droves to watch live sports. However, that has yet to be the case, especially for the NBA, where its TV ratings are actually down during the pandemic.

Over the first week of the 2020 NBA playoffs, ESPN, ABC, and TNT averaged 1.875 million TV viewers per game. As of Aug. 25, the NBA playoffs were down 20% compared to 2019, according to Real GM. Ratings were down 28% for the coveted 18-49 demographic for the first week of the playoffs, according to ShowBuzzDaily.

The NBA has played some weekday afternoon games, which have hurt ratings, but even prime time night games are not attracting viewers like they once did.

"Compared to ABC's first playoff game last year, Clippers-Warriors Game 1 on a Saturday night, ratings fell 23% (from 3.0) and viewership 21% (from 4.83M)," Sports Media Watch reported. "The Lakers' win ranks as ABC's least-watched playoff opener in five years (2015 Pelicans-Warriors: 3.49M)."

Last week, the NBA postponed three days of playoff games to give time to players and fans to reflect on the police shooting death of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Saturday's elimination Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers managed to only attract 2.92 million viewers and a 1.8 rating. On the same day, more people watched NASCAR than the Lakers' series-clinching win. The NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona drew 3.87 million viewers and earned a 2.4 rating.

"Versus the comparable window last year, ratings fell 35% and viewership 30% from Game 1 of a Sixers-Raptors semifinal (1.95, 3.08M). Keep in mind last year's game aired exclusively on TNT," according to Sports Media Watch.

President Donald Trump noticed the ratings drop in the NBA and voiced his opinion on the topic on Twitter.

"People are tired of watching the highly political @NBA," he tweeted. "Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won't be coming back. I hope football and baseball are watching and learning because the same thing will be happening to them. Stand tall for our Country and our Flag!!!"

A new poll found that President Trump could be right about mixing political and social justice issues with sports. A new Harris Poll found that 38% of sports fans say they're watching fewer games because the NBA has "become too political." Republicans were more likely to turn off the NBA, as 57% said the NBA was "too political," compared to 22% of Democrats, according to Forbes.

The survey of nearly 2,000 people from over the weekend also found 28% of respondents were watching fewer sports because it was "boring without fans." The poll discovered that 19% of people were not watching the NBA because of the league's friendly association with China. Broken down by party lines, 36% of Republicans said they weren't watching the NBA because of close ties to China, versus 8% for Democrats.