Poll: 10 percent of men more likely to watch NFL after domestic violence debacles

The NFL's controversial handling of a spate of domestic violence cases has made a not-insignificant number of men more keen to watch football games, according to a new Reuters poll.

In the survey, 10.3 percent of men say they are now more likely to watch football, while 14.5 percent say they are less likely to do so. Among all respondents, three-quarters say the domestic abuse incidents haven't impacted their plans to watch football at all, according to the poll, which was first flagged by FiveThirtyEight.

Despite the league's seemingly capricious handling of domestic violence, a couple of new arrests, and the revelation that star running back Adrian Peterson allegedly beat his four-year-old son with a tree branch, the league has hardly seen a drop off in ratings from last year. Combined with the survey results, that suggests that the NFL is not, as some have claimed, headed inexorably toward collapse.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up