According to a recent survey from J.D. Power, national anthem protests that originated with Colin Kaepernick led a list of reasons people tuned out of NFL games last season. The poll consisted of 9,200 people who attended a football, basketball or hockey game, and asked them if they tuned into fewer games and why.
Per the poll, 26 percent of viewers cited the protests as the reason. Coming in second, 24 percent said that it was because of the league's off-field image issues, such as domestic abuse, and general game delays, such as penalties. Twenty percent said that it was because of excessive commercials, and 16 percent said they tuned out because of the presidential election.
NFL owners are aware of the results. Giants owner John Mara got into some hot water for comments made about potentially signing Kaepernick, saying that if the Giants signed him it would lead to "intense backlash." While players reacted negatively to the comments, it appears that it holds some merit in terms of the "bottom line."
Whether Kaepernick is being blackballed by the league has been talked about to death. With that being said, with Joe Flacco possibly out for at least Week 1 in Baltimore, the Ravens have at least expressed some interest in pursuing the controversial quarterback.
