I believe that by observing various pictures of empty stands during the second quarters of games from last year, that there are more no-shows than in previous years. WHY is the question?
There are probably a variety of reasons for this higher number of no shows.
First, Americans have shorter attention spans. There are numerous examples of this, the best being golf. Millennials, Gen Xers, et al, do not want to spend 4.5-5.0 +hours doing ANYTHING. Thus, for them, the duration of the actual game is too damn long.
Second, when a team is losing, fans don’t want to show up and waste 5 to 6 hours of their life and spend enormous amounts of money on beer, parking, et cetera on a crappy team.
Third, watching the game on TV is simply a far better experience, for the most part, than watching in person. The replays, the creature comfort‘s, and other attributes of watching quietly in your own house to me make football the best TV support. if they ever give the option of watching the “coaches view” live, I would never attend another game. Further, I can’t stand sitting near people who don’t have a freaking clue what the hell they’re talking about when they’re watching a game.
Fourth, I have friends who feel very stridently that the NA protests by players turns them off of the sport. I think these people (my friends who feel this way) are idiots, and I have told him so. Why should they give a damn what most of these players think about anything. They are paid to entertain us and take our minds off of the crap happening around us in the balance of our lives. It is the same argument in regard to Hollywood celebrities. Why would anyone give a rip about their political views...how have they earned the right to affect your opinion on any political issue? Most of them are morons.
The net here, is that the National anthem issue only is the straw that breaks the camel’s back as a result if the first 3 issues.
In Luce tua Videmus Lucem KRK