by Ray Keating
The Keating Files – September 10, 2020
Many of us were waiting anxiously for the return of sports during this pandemic. And now that the NHL and NBA are in their postseasons, MLB is playing a dramatically shortened season, and the NFL kicks off tonight, well, it seems like a lot of Americans are pissed off with pro sports.
Just how bad has it gotten for the business of pro sports? Well, in a new Gallup pollmeasuring Americans’ views on 25 business or industry sectors, the sports industry ties for dead last – with the federal government. Yikes.
The sports industry is viewed positively (either very or somewhat positive) by only 30 percent of Americans. Again, that puts pro sports at the very bottom of the list with the federal government. However, at least the sports industry’s negatives aren’t as big as government’s, with the sports industry earning a 40 percent negative take (again, either very or somewhat) versus the federal government’s 50 percent (worst among the 25 sectors). (By the way, amidst all of the current and recent political insanity, it’s good to see that a notable chunk of Americans still holds a skeptical view of government.)
The sports industry also holds an edge over the federal government in terms of people holding a neutral view – 29 percent for sports compared to 20 percent for the feds.
But as Gallup makes clear, the big story in this year’s polling is the change for sports. It was noted, “The biggest slide … has been for the sports industry, with its positive score falling 15 points – from 45% to 30%. The sports industry now has a negative image, on balance, among Americans as a whole, with 30% viewing it positively and 40% negatively, for a -10 net-positive score. This contrasts with the +20 net positive image it enjoyed in 2019, when 45% viewed it positively and 25% negatively.”
And it’s gotten worse for sports across the board in terms of assorted breakdowns. From the 2019 poll to this 2020 poll, the net positives for sports moved in the wrong direction in category by category, such as going from +17 net positive to -7 among men; from +21 to -13 among women; from +36 among 18-34 year olds to +21; from +25 to -19 among 35-54 year olds; from +6 to -23 among 55+; from +4 to -22 among white Americans; from +51 to +16 among non-white Americans; from +11 among Republicans to -35; from +26 to -10 among independents; and from +16 to +11 among Democrats.
Parsing out the specific percentage-point contributions to this negative movement isn’t easy, but identifying the causes seem pretty straight forward. Some people are upset that sports leagues have become too political. Others believe that sports leagues haven’t done enough to address assorted societal ills, such as racism. And then there are simply sports fans who are displeased with how certain or all of the sports leagues have handled the challenges of this pandemic.
We wanted sports, and far fewer are happy with sports. Go figure. I actually have a bit of sympathy for the people running the NFL, MLB, NHL and the NBA. Currently, they are in a no-win scenario. No matter what they do, significant parts of their fan base are going to be disgruntled.
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See related...
“Should We Take Our Ball and Go Home When Pro Athletes Disagree with Us?”
“New Name for Redskins is Obvious: Washington Americans”
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Ray Keating is a columnist, novelist, economist, podcaster and entrepreneur. You can order his new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York from Amazon or signed books at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
Keating’s latest novel is The Traitor: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, which is the 12thbook in the series. The best way to fully enjoy Ray Keating’s Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries is to join the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship! For the BEST VALUE, consider the Book of the Month Club. Check it all out at
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