It’s become cliche to say we’re currently in the midst of an unprecedented presidential election race, but this past Sunday reminded everyone just how much the volatile and unpredictable cycle has impacted the sports world, not to mention the rest of it.
When President Joe Biden announced that he would be dropping out of the 2024 election race, it sent a shockwave across every major U.S. network and broadcaster. Several notable sporting events, including NASCAR’s Brickyard 400, the LPGA’s Dana Open, and The Basketball Tournament all saw their TV homes get shifted around to make room for the breaking news.
As Front Office Sports’ Eric Fisher pointed out, there’s an expectation heading into the homestretch of this unpredictable election cycle that there will be plenty more disruptions to come.
A presidential election year is going to play tricks on network scheduling while also drawing attention away from sporting events.
Puck’s John Ourand reminded everyone in his most recent newsletter that the NFL is almost certainly going to see a dip in ratings this season, at least through Election Day.
“Most of my sources expect NFL viewership to decline this year for the first time in a while—just like in 2016, of course, when the historically contentious Trump–Clinton race sucked up so much cultural oxygen that ratings dropped 8 percent from the previous season,” wrote Ourand.
Ourand noted that there will be other factors that could impact numbers as well, including a drop in ABC simulcast Monday Night Football games compared to last season.
Of course, no one is going to feel too bad for the NFL. They’re coming off of a season that averaged 17.9 million viewers per game, their highest numbers since 2015. League games will still be among the highest-rated broadcasts on television. Their broadcasting partners and affiliates are going to make bank thanks to all of the political ads that candidates will want to show up during those games. And by the time January arrives and brings the playoffs with it, the NFL will be doing just fine.
