Over the weekend, I read a lengthy article about how identity politics driven by the party's left wing is killing the Democratic Party.  It is bringing their agenda down, according to Annis Shivani.

Well, let me tell you something else the left is bringing down: the National Football League.  All of these political demonstrations are not playing well at all with the people who buy the tickets or watch it on TV.

A new post by Richard Deitsch raises the possibility:

At least one sports television network president believes that national anthem protests last season were a factor in the decline of NFL ratings.

On Wednesday during its annual NFL Media Day in New York City, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said research his network did internally indicated that the protests played some kind of role in declining average viewers. He was emphatic, however, that it was merely a factor and not the cause. 

The average television viewership for the 2016 NFL season dropped roughly 8% last year from 2015.

"We did research and it was relatively proprietary research, to be honest with you," McManus said. "But I think if you look at some of the reasons why NFL viewership was down last year, that is a reason that's mentioned by a fair amount of viewers. It is something they don't find attractive or they find don't compelling in coverage of the football game. How big a factor it was? I don't really know. But it was one of the factors that I think perhaps led to the slight decrease in ratings last year."

There are a couple of factors here that irritate me, and I follow sports a lot.  I'm the type of guy who follows the Rangers, the Cowboys, the Mavericks, the Stars, and college football.  I'm into sports just about every day of the year.

First, you have the total ignorance of people like Colin Kaepernick, who talk about repression and then praise the repressive government of Cuba.  Did you go to school, Colin?  Go talk to a Cuban Major League Baseball player, and he will clear you head very quickly about that Che T-shirt that you are wearing.  Ask him about how his family has been treated after escaping Cuba.

Second, NFL players are employees using their work time to pursue political objectives.  Why don't they hold these marches on their own time?  I think a lot of fans, especially the many people who buy the company tickets, understand that.  March on your own time, Colin!

Finally, we watch sports to get away from the daily grind of life, from business to politics.  It's a great escape for most of us.  It's family time, as it is with my sons and as it was with my late father.  It is a time to enjoy a meal with your friends, as many do with NFL broadcasts.  It is our time off, and we don't like for athletes to spoil it.

It's probably too early to know for sure, but my anecdotal evidence suggests that many fans are furious or have had it with players who spoil our sporting events with political protests.

Let's hope the NFL commissioner is paying attention, because some of these athletes are killing his brand.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.