The NFL has a very, very good reason to be 'freaking out'

NFL.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The National Football League has been in trouble for a while, but a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll illustrates just how bad things really are. Within a four-year period, men aged 18 to 49 who say they "closely" follow the NFL has dropped from 75 percent to 51 percent. That represents a major chunk of the sport's main demographic.

"If I'm the NFL I'm freaking out about that a little bit," said Republican pollster Micah Roberts. "They are the very core of the football-viewing audience. If they're retreating, then who's left?"

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.