We’ve been arguing that Donald Trump’s calculated fight with the NFL over the national anthem is a brilliant strategy in which it’s a no-lose scenario for him.
He’s been holding a royal flush and knows the NFL is attempting to bluff their way out of a really bad hand.
And now a new poll is forcing them to fold.
According to Politico’s latest numbers, favorability of the NFL among Americans — which was already at a low — fell from 30% to 17% in a single week.
And that death-spiral coincides with the blow-up over Trump’s spotlight on anthem-kneelers.
What’s worse is only 35% believe the NFL has a positive impact on the community.
Folks, that’s what we call a public relations crisis.
And it might explain why the NFL had an emergency meeting with owners and coaches this week.
Here’s from Breitbart…
In news that will shock only those who have spent the last week living in caves, the NFL’s favorability has taken a massive nosedive this week.
The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll released this week shows that the league’s favorability has fallen from 30 percent on September 21 to a low of 17 percent only a week later.
The poll takers said that this month’s numbers are the lowest favorability ratings the poll has ever measured since it first began polling on the question.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump voters expressed an even harsher view. On September 21, 25 percent of Trump voters approved of the NFL, and 11 percent had an unfavorable view. But by September 28, those numbers changed dramatically with 33 percent saying they now have an unfavorable view of the NFL while only 16 percent said they felt positively toward the league.
The drop of 13 points in a single week coincides with the mass protests seen across the league during Week 3 of the NFL season.
The drop also coincides with criticism of the league offered by President Trump who said on September 22 that he hoped NFL owners would fire players who stage protests during the playing of the national anthem.
The poll also found that only 35% of respondents believe the league has a positive impact in the community. That is a 10% drop since September 13. Clearly, the protests are overshadowing all the charity efforts sponsored by the league, the teams, and individual players.
