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South Orange, NJ, October 5, 2017 — Statisticians at the Seton Hall Sports Poll dug a little deeper this week, looking at figures reflecting the opinions of people who identified themselves as \u201cfans of the NFL,\u201d and separating their responses to the overall responses published last week.<\/p>\n
The excision of those results showed that nearly a third – 30% – said they were watching fewer games this season (9% were watching more, 55% about the same), and that 52% of those watching less gave the reason as players protesting the national anthem.<\/p>\n
The poll was conducted last week and results covering all Americans were released on September 28.\u00a0 (https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/sportspoll\/2017\/09\/28\/84-support-nfl-players-right-to-protest-but-vary-on-how-to-carry-that-out-only-16-say-protesters-should-be-dropped\/<\/a>).\u00a0 The poll numbers for those who said they were NFL fans were not dramatically different from the overall numbers, but still of interest.<\/p>\n As to whether NFL fans agreed or disagreed with the act of protest during the national anthem, 38% agreed with the gesture, (vs. 33% of \u201call\u201d responders last week), and 45% disagreed with it (vs. 44% of \u201call responders.\u201d).<\/p>\n On President Trump\u2019s call for those who kneel to be fired, 28% of NFL fans agree with the President, (exactly even with the result from all Americans), while 55% agree with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that the President\u2019s statement were divisive, which was up from the 50% when all Americans were asked.<\/p>\n 91% OF NFL FANS STILL PREFER GAMES ON TRADITIONAL TV<\/strong><\/p>\n (This was not part of last week\u2019s release).<\/em><\/p>\n The poll also revealed that despite talks of \u201ccord-cutting\u201d and efforts to introduce other devices for fans to follow games, 91% of NFL fans still watch the games on traditional television, with only 4% saying \u201con computer\u201d and just 1% citing a mobile device.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIf this is the emerging technology for watching live football, it clearly has a long way to go,\u201d noted Rick Gentile, Director of the Seton Hall Sports Poll, which is sponsored by The Sharkey Institute.<\/p>\n The poll of 845 adults (on both landline and cellphone) was conducted across the US on Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday of last week.\u00a0 It has a margin of error of 3.4%.\u00a0\u00a0 411 of the respondents made up the \u201cfans of the NFL\u201d sample.<\/p>\n ONLY 18% OF AMERICANS SAY THAT ESPN\u2019S JEMELE HILL SHOULD BE FIRED FOR \u2018WHITE SUPREMACIST\u2019 TWEET<\/strong><\/p>\n (This was not part of last week\u2019s release).<\/em><\/p>\n Only 18% of Americans believe that ESPN broadcaster Jemele Hill should be fired because of statements she posted on her personal Twitter account, which a White House spokesperson called a \u201cfireable offense.\u201d\u00a0 She had called President Trump a \u201cwhite supremacist.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n 38% believed that reporters working for media companies should be prohibited from using personal social media accounts to make controversial social or political statements.<\/p>\n 68% said Ms. Hill should not be fired; 18% said she should. There was a sharp divide among African-American responders and whites; 84% of African-Americans felt she should not be fired and only 5% said she should.\u00a0 Among whites, it was 65% for not firing her, and 22% for firing her.<\/p>\n \u201cFiring her was obviously considered too severe,\u201d noted Gentile.\u00a0 \u201cBut her Tweet seems to have opened a dialogue about limits.\u00a0 That could be a healthy thing.\u201d<\/p>\n A podcast by Seth Everett interviewing Rick Gentile, can be found at ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n One of the country\u2019s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership \u2014 developing students in mind, heart and spirit \u2014 since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 academic programs, Seton Hall\u2019s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S.News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.<\/p>\n Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. Its attractive main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles by train, bus or car from New York City, offering a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The university\u2019s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark.<\/p>\n For more information, visit www.shu.edu.<\/p>\n About the poll:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n This poll was conducted by telephone September 25-27 among 845 adults in the United States. The Seton Hall Sports Poll is conducted by the Sharkey Institute.<\/p>\n Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard landline and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.<\/p>\n The Seton Hall Sports Poll has been conducted regularly since 2006.<\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/mt\/podcast\/seton-hall-sports-poll\/id1053266467<\/u><\/p>\n