Surprising poll reveals football mecca hates the NFL
Few things are more synonymous with the great state of Texas than football.
From the high school legends that helped spawn “Friday Night Lights” to the 1990s dominance of the Dallas Cowboys to the fervor over the Texas Longhorns’ 2006 Rose Bowl win, the Lone Star State’s love of football permeates at nearly every conceivable level.
Only, that might not be the case anymore.
According to a study conducted by the University of Texas and The Texas Tribune, football is still very much beloved in Texas.
The NFL? Not so much these days.
According to the poll conducted earlier this month, nearly half of Texas’ registered voters have an “unfavorable” opinion of the NFL.
Think about that. Swathes of Texans are turning up their collective noses at what is ostensibly the highest level of football possible.
If that’s not a searing indictment of the Roger Goodell regime, nothing is.
Divided among racial backgrounds, the above poll paints a bleak picture for a myriad of reasons for the NFL.
First and foremost, despite the NFL’s insistence, anthem protests are undoubtedly hurting the league.
“[President Donald Trump] made this an issue,” said Daron Shaw, who co-directed the poll and is also a government professor at the University of Texas.
Shaw was emphatic that the issue had hurt the NFL.
“He understood that making this about the national anthem was good politically,” Shaw said. “It’s very clear it has hurt the NFL, and that it’s polarized politically and polarized racially.”
Worse yet for the NFL, of the 47 percent of people who had an unfavorable opinion of the NFL, 28 percent held a “very unfavorable” opinion of the league.
“If football was trumping controversy, these numbers would be much more positive than they are,” Jim Henson, the other co-director of the poll, said. “And they would not show the demographic patterns that are clearly evident here.”
The demographic patterns are worth noting. Over half (55 percent) of white registered voters in Texas dislike the NFL. Black registered voters, on the other hand, hold a much more favorable view of the league, with 49 percent being pro-NFL. Thirty-nine percent of Hispanic registered voters view the NFL unfavorably.
While declining public sentiment of the NFL isn’t exactly new, just as worrisome should be the 27 percent of registered voters who had no opinion on the NFL. Looking at the 26 percent of voters who view the NFL favorably, that means more Texans hold general apathy toward the league than actually like it.
Negative and positive sentiments at least both generate some sort of dialogue or reaction. Not drawing an opinion at all is almost worse.
This is all to say that the NFL had better work overtime to try and turn things around.
Losing a foothold in Maine or Idaho is one thing.
Losing a foothold in Texas? That’s a major blow and virtually inconceivable. And yet according to this poll, it’s exactly what’s happening.
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