A movie quote once stated: “A man can change everything but there’s one thing he can’t change. He can’t change his passion.” In terms of sports, it applies perfectly and gives us a nice perspective to analyze college football popularity in general and TV audiences in particular. Let us know Are College Football TV Ratings Down?
Has college football lost its popularity?
Not at all. During the last College Football Finals, TV ratings were higher than in 2021. Although recovery seems to be slow, especially compared to NFL and other professional leagues, sports fans will never disappear and will continue to keep in touch with their favorite teams, regardless of the volatility of the social context.
In this article, we will try to provide a framework to explain some of the main reasons that have led to this drop in audiences.
Is this audience drop just a temporary issue?
Below we are going to list some of the external and internal issues that had a direct impact on the drop in college football ratings over the recent years, intending to contextualize and have a broader projection on the short and medium-term.
Legal access to sports betting in professional football
According to research by the American Gaming Association, during the 2021-2022 period more than 45 million Americans joined in betting on the NFL season in some way. This was in the wake of a 2018 US Supreme Court decision, which struck down a federal law that prohibited states from making legal bets both at the professional and university levels. It is very likely that, given the highly superior amount of money that the NFL manages, viewers have turned more towards this league than to others of lesser magnitude.
Social division and political activism of athletes
The growing social division for cultural, social, and political reasons has also involved sports and its athletes. In recent years, they have increasingly been involved in controversies regarding issues outside the scope of their professional activity. Those topics include gender identity, policing, the judicial system, and the development of minority communities.
Highest inflation rate in 40 years
The last report of the consumer price index (CPI) showed an inflation rate of 8.5% year-on-year in the US, the highest recorded since December 1981. Without a doubt, these numbers hurt the pockets of the average American, who were forced to assign a most of their income to the grocery store, gasoline, and basic services, leaving aside expenses such as PPV TV, pleasure trips, recreational activities, and access to sports and artistic events.
Cancelation culture over some sports personalities
The fact that many sports figures have turned to political activism and social justice has caused fans to exercise another type of connection over them that goes beyond what is strictly sports. For example, if a spectator considers that a certain athlete has a political thought that does not coincide with his values or goals in life, there would be many possibilities for a cancellation to be launched towards that athlete and everything related to his activity. That includes, of course, not watching the games where he/she participates.
Priorities are changing in daily life
Another reason that could lead to this decrease in college football television audiences is related to changes in the social macro view, regarding several priorities. Recent surveys have shown that the American people have begun to turn to issues more related to political activism, social justice, and the fight for equal rights.
The socioeconomic effects of COVID
The COVID-19 pandemic, which peaked during the first half of 2020, not only changed habits regarding social interaction in health matters. The economic deterioration due to quarantines, lockdowns, and mobility restrictions meant that millions of Americans had to reorganize their budgets based on more basic consumption habits such as food, clothing, and housing, relegating more of the so-called “banal” items such as entertainment consumption. Of course, sports, whether in person or through the media, did not escape this reality.
CONCLUSION
Under what was explained in the previous paragraphs, it could be interpreted that the rating increase in the last college finals between Georgia and Alabama could be due to what is commonly called a “dead cat bounce”, after the economic collapse that the pandemic caused not only in the US but in practically the entire world. It could be also due to a slight showcase to forget for a moment the psychological damage that COVID caused to the population. Maybe We would have to wait until the end of 2023, to know if the college football ratings will continue to rise or if the downward trend continues. It will be important to watch closely how the events unfold, regarding the cultural and ideological behavior and macroeconomic and health policies. Now it is clear Are College Football TV Ratings Down?
FAQ 1
Do people watch less college football because they’ve lost interest in it?
Making such an assertion like that would be rather bold and imprecise. Audiences have modified their social and economic priorities due to different macroeconomic, political, and cultural factors that have engulfed the US and much of the world in recent years. People may have chosen to watch fewer sports on TV, but that does not necessarily represent a clear disinterest in the sports activity.
FAQ 2
Did political ideology influence the drop in audiences?
It would be absurd to deny that politics and ideology have permeated not only sports but many activities in the daily lives of Americans. However, it is hasty to ensure that the entire burden of the decline in ratings must fall on this issue. The most prudent thing to do, in this case, is to wait a little bit longer and see what happens.
