Despite decline in ratings, NFL, Super Bowl wield ‘unbelievable amount of power’

Josh Boyd, an associate professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication, says Despite several controversies surrounding the NFL, the league is likely to rebound Feb. 4 with another successful Super Bowl spectacle. (Purdue University photo) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Despite several controversies surrounding the NFL, a Purdue University professor of communication says the league is likely to rebound Feb. 4 with another successful Super Bowl spectacle.

NFL television ratings fell 9.7 percent in 2017 after an 8 percent drop in 2016, ESPN reported Jan. 4 using numbers registered by Nielsen. Meanwhile, the league has faced concerns related to the impact of concussions on player safety and the prevalence of player protests during the National Anthem.

Still, NFL games or post-game shows commanded seven of the top 10 single telecasts in 2017, including Super Bowl LI, which topped the list with 112 million viewers, according to Nielsen.com. NBC’s Sunday Night Football was the No. 1 regularly scheduled TV program last year, garnering an average 18.5 million viewers.

“The NFL has all kinds of challenges,” said Josh Boyd, an associate professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication. “They still command a huge audience of men and women on live television, where people still watch ads, and so they still have an unbelievable amount of power. Even as they shrink, there’s nothing comparable.”

Boyd studies corporate rhetoric and public relations, and teaches courses in sports communications and sports fan culture. Despite the NFL’s resilience to controversy, he said the organization has lost fans over the past five years to other professional sports focused on drawing in a wider audience through public relations strategies.

“Among students, there’s been an increase in soccer and basketball fans,” Boyd said, “and that aligns pretty well with the NBA’s successes in terms of public relations, the continued spread of American soccer and the generation that follows soccer outside of just the United States.”  

Writer: Joseph Paul, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu  

Source: Josh Boyd, 765-494-3333, boyd@purdue.edu