[RedState] It has been with sharp interest that we have followed the return of professional sports over the past month. Within a week, MLB, NBA, and the NHL all came back with scheduled games, leading to unexpected results. League officials and media experts all anticipated pent-up fan interest and the lack of live attendance at games would lead to higher-than-average ratings — except the opposite has proven out. Each year Gallup surveys Americans on their favorability in regards to 25 major industries in the country. In its latest, released this week, we see some precipitous declines that should shake the constitutions of the fist-shaking pro athletes. Of all the sectors measured in the survey, professional sports suffered the biggest drop in support, falling all the way to 23rd on the list and settling barely above The Federal Government. The negative impressions by Americans now see sports underwater by double digits, with a 30%-40% favorable/unfavorable ratio.
Things are only more bleak in the metrics. This decline was not a number moved by one sector rebelling against the actions in athletics. In all categories measured ‐ gender, race, age, and politics ‐ pro sports saw sharp declines of support. Among all adults, favorability plunged -30%, and of particular alarm should be that wage earners in the 35-45 age group dropped -44%. Non-white Americans fell a sharp -35%. Even the most supportive sector ‐ Democrats ‐ fell, a lower -5%, but among those declaring to be Independent there was a -36% drop in approval; where that category harbored a positive impression last year at +26% they now sit with a -10% approval.