To adopt the language of the social sciences, the decline in the NFL’s early-season TV ratings this year has been overdetermined: The games have been bad. The Trump show on the cable channels has pulled away viewers. Big-name NFL stars have retired or been sidelined by injuries or disciplinary actions. Colin Kaepernick’s antics have turned off many fans, especially because his national anthem protests primarily play to a constituency that already believes football should be banned. A few quarterbacks or other players who...

Source: Wall Street Journal October 21, 2016 23:03 UTC