Despite threat of boycott, attendance increases at Sunday NFL games
Jay BusbeeShutdown CornerNov 12, 2017, 6:44 PM
Fans angry with the NFL and its protesting players called for a boycott on Veterans Day weekend. But other fans showed up to Sunday’s games, and in greater numbers than they had averaged all season.
NFL players protesting during the national anthem have drawn the ire of a significant segment of the fanbase, upset at what they believe is disrespect for the flag and military members’ sacrifice. Almost half, 49 percent, of respondents in a recent poll said they believed the protests were disrespectful to the flag. Many fans have said they would boycott the NFL, and loosely organized movements on Twitter and Facebook sought to flex patriotic muscle by boycotting the entire slate of games this holiday weekend.
However, the numbers don’t indicate that any boycotts, if indeed they happened, had a meaningful numerical effect. In fact, total attendance at the eight early games on Sunday, as reported by the NFL, was up about 1 percent over season averages. Here’s the breakdown, with averages prior to Sunday’s games.
• Buffalo: Average 68,944; Sunday: 67,501
• Chicago: Average 61,779; Sunday: 61,285
• Jacksonville: Average 59,553; Sunday: 67,164
• Detroit: Average 63,367; Sunday: 64,646
• Indy: Average 63,801; Sunday: 66,146
• Tennessee: Average 67,356; Sunday: 67,432
• Tampa: Average 60,894; Sunday: 57,911
• Washington: Average: 77,451; Sunday: 74,476
https://sports.yahoo.com/despite-threat-boycott-attendance-increases-sunday-nfl-games-234459264.html
