21 excuses we've heard for NFL ratings being so bad

No one really knows why the NFL ratings have been so badfirst last year, and now through the first two weeks of the current season.The loudest explanation the league gave last year was "unprecedented interest in the presidential election." And indeed, ratings did improve a bit after the election ended."It's an encouraging rebound," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN in December. "I think it proves that the election was certainly a factor."But if Goodell was optimistic then, and when ratings for preseason NFL games looked good this summer, he probably isnt quite asrosy now.Through the first two weeks of the season, NFL ratings were down12% and 15% respectively, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The first weekend, many blamed interest in watching hurricane coverage. But for week two there was no easy explanation.So what's going on'In covering the NFL's ratings woes over the past few years, I've run into a bunch of explanations for why TV viewers aren't tuning in with the same numbers.Here's alist of all the excusesI've heard thrown around, (some valid, some much less so):The election.Trump's antics, generally.Cord-cutting, or thefact that people are not subscribing to cable TV in the same numbers.Injuries that make teamsless compelling.The controversy surrounding concussions and CTE.Unfavorable matchups.Too many commercials (about 70 per game last year).Too many penalties.Too many game stoppages, generally.Too many televised games, which Mark Cuban has been saying for years.Hurricanes.Cell phones, specifically them making people impatient about ads.Players protesting during the national anthem.Colin Kaepernick, generally.Small sample sizes (could be a fluke).The handling of domestic violence cases involvingplayers.NFL RedZone.Fantasy Football.Social media.The MLB postseason.Not enough scoring.With the NFL's TV network partners estimated to earn $2.5 billion from ad revenue this season, everyone involved has a clear incentive to figure out how to turn the viewership trend around.SEE ALSO:Hulu showed up Netflix with a historic Emmy win, but it shouldn't get comfortableJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: A dermatologist explains why she uses body wash instead of bar soap
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