In an attempt to figure out who’s winning the war of words between President Donald Trump and the National Football League, USA Today has examined TV viewership for Sunday Night Football in 37 markets in 2016 and 2017.
Though there’s some variation in the data relative to specific cities and NFL teams, there was some evidence of Trump having an overall negative effect on viewership—but it was, at best, weak.
“What really stood out was that people stuck with football if there was a ‘football reason’ to watch,” USA Today reports, noting the biggest viewership increase was in Minneapolis, home to the Minnesota Vikings, which advanced to the NFC Championship last year. “The data shows that quality football and home team loyalty drove the TV audience far more than political tribalism.”
That was also the case in New Orleans. Although Trump won the popular vote in Louisiana by double digits in 2016—during which the New Orleans Saints posted a disappointing 7-9 record—the Saints saw their football fortunes rise in 2017, winning eight consecutive games and sweeping the division rival Panthers after an 0-2 start. The New Orleans market saw ratings climb 13%.
As has been well-documented, NFL viewership on TV was down in most places in recent years, and some of that may be due to cord cutting. A little over half of the markets analyzed by USA Today saw a year-over-year decline in the share of the TV viewers watching Sunday Night Football.
