美国国家公共电台 NPR Experts Puzzled Over Significant Drop In NFL TV Ratings

Experts Puzzled Over Significant Drop In NFL TV Ratings

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0003:49repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: 

Have we fallen out of love with football just a little bit? NFL TV ratings, once thought to be completely bulletproof, have dropped about 10 percent this season across all networks. The drop is even worse for the primetime games. Why is this happening? Well, there are no shortage of theories, but no definitive² answers either. Reporter Joe Flint wrote about this for The Wall Street Journal, and he's here with me in the studio now. Thanks for coming in.

JOE FLINT: Thank you for having me.

MCEVERS: OK, so just last year, the NFL had some of the best ratings ever. I mean, what are some of the theories behind this year's drop?

FLINT: The main culprit, according to the NFL, is the election and all the coverage³ and all the attention that Donald Trump⁴ and Hillary Clinton are getting and that they're sucking a lot of air out of the room. One of the debates went up against Monday Night Football and, of course, crushed it. And on Sunday afternoons, even, the cable news networks are all up dramatically in viewers and men 18 to 49, which is, of course, the core NFL demographic. So that's what the league believes, but there are other folks who have different ideas.

MCEVERS: OK, so what are some of those ideas?

FLINT: Well, there are some who just think that the quality of NFL play has been on the decline. There's also some key players missing. Tom Brady was suspended for the first four weeks. Tony Romo's hurt. Peyton Manning's retired⁵. All these things are - are maybe contributing to a little less fan interest. And then there is a very vocal⁶ minority, as I've learned in the last two days since writing about this, of people very upset with the league's non-reaction to the players protesting during the national anthem⁷.

MCEVERS: OK, so you're referring, of course, to protests started by Colin Kaepernick, and then other players have followed. What are people saying about it to you?

FLINT: Well I've gotten a lot of emails from readers very upset about it. They feel it's disrespectful to the country, disrespectful to the game. They're upset that the NFL, which will fine a player if they're wearing the wrong socks or if the shoe laces aren't tied right, is letting this go by, which they see as a tacit endorsement⁸.

Some readers say they don't have an issue with protest, but they don't want to see it on the football field. Why does sports have to be politicized? Can't it be the one refuge away from this? And others are just furious about it in general and say they're tired of spoiled athletes not respecting the country and - and the flag.

And, again, I can't say this is a real issue driving the ratings or not. The NFL certainly isn't - doesn't think so. On the other hand, if it is, I wouldn't expect them to say they recognize that. So, you know, we'll have to just see as time goes on, especially after the election.

MCEVERS: Now, I'm about to say something that some people would consider, you know, completely un-American and possibly even unconstitutional. Is it possible that, after all these years of consuming football 24/7, 365 days a year and all these different platforms, people are just getting tired of football?

FLINT: Well, it's interesting. I mean, I'm a football fan. I've grown up watching the game, and I still watch, but I don't watch it with the same intensity⁹. I, myself, am kind of frustrated¹⁰ with the constant tweaking to the rules that the NFL does, the constant trying to get everything perfect that really interrupts the flow of the game, which, of course, then means more commercials, which then gives me another reason to turn the channel, lose interest and get bored. And I'm hearing from some readers that that, too, is an issue. And I think another thing we can't dismiss is we are learning so much more about the violence of the game - the injuries, the concussions¹¹. It's just become tougher to watch and see. And I don't think that can be diminished either, and especially as time goes on and fewer kids are playing football as youths, which means they might not be watching it as much as they become adults.

MCEVERS: Well, Joe Flint of The Wall Street Journal, thank you so much for coming in.

FLINT: Thanks for having me.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

3 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

8 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

9 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

10 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 concussions   

n.震荡( concussion的名词复数 )；脑震荡；冲击；震动

参考例句：

• People who have concussions often trouble thinking or remembering. 患脑震荡的人通常存在思考和记忆障碍。 来自互联网
• Concussions also make a person feel very tired or angry. 脑震荡也会使人感觉疲倦或愤怒。 来自互联网