Rasmussen Poll: 34% Less Likely to Watch NFL Because of Anthem Protests

Yet another poll now shows that fans are less likely to watch the NFL, because of Colin Kaepernick-styled national anthem protests.

The new poll by Rasmussen finds that 34 percent are less likely to watch the NFL because of the protests. Only 12 percent said the protests made them more likely to watch while 50 percent said the protests did not impact their viewing habits.

While the league may hope that the ubiquity of the protests might cause fans to just accept it all as part of the game, Rasmussen’s numbers have not much changed from its results on the question last October.

The poll found that 63 percent of Americans say they occasionally follow the NFL in person at stadiums, on TV or radio, or via the Internet. Findings also showed that 39 percent said they watch the league several times a week, and another 35 percent said they never follow football.

Of those who do follow the NFL, 30 percent say the protests are causing them to drift from the sport. Only a tiny 8 percent said the protests had invigorated their interest in football.

Interestingly, last year, Rasmussen also found little difference in the opinion of football fans when they accounted for race.that Whether among white, black or other minorities, a third of fans of said the protests made them less likely to watch football.

Rasmussen is far from the only polling firm to find that football fans are tired of the anti-American protests.

At least two other polls last year found fans who were upset by the protests. One poll found that 44% of fans said they would stop watching the NFL if protests against the national anthem continued. A second poll by J.D. Power showed fans citing the anthem protests as the main reason they stopped watching NFL games.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.