The No. 1 reason football fans are tuning out NFL telecasts is that some players refused to stand for the national anthem, a study revealed.
Half of the 2,000 US consumers surveyed said they are watching fewer NFL games on TV because some players knelt during the anthem, found the study by UBS, a Wall Street bank.
Last year, 32 percent of fans said they were tuning out because of the anthem protests.
The NFL saw TV ratings decline during the regular season, playoffs and Super Bowl.
The No. 2 reason, cited by 20 percent of fans, for not watching NFL telecasts was that they are “not as interested in professional football.”
Players’ off-field antics were the No. 3 reason, with 23 percent citing them as the reason they were watching less football.