Ratings Crash for NBA, MLB After Protest-Filled Debuts

MLB really fell off after opening day. In general, both leagues aren't getting the audience one might expect from a nation that's been deprived of entertainment for months https://t.co/GazeoR9SNB

— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) August 2, 2020

As the NBA and MLB return from their coronavirus-imposed hiatus, it appears TV viewers are not interested in what the increasingly woke leagues have to offer. With both baseball and basketball draped in all sorts of Black Lives Matter and social justice symbolism for their opening games, a substantially smaller number of fans tuned-in to the rest of the week’s games. 

According to Outkick.com, neither league did well. 

As for the opening games, Outkick reported that the return of the NBA on TNT saw the following numbers: 

Lakers-Clippers: 3.4 million 

Pelicans-Jazz: 2.1 million 

ESPN’s MLB return numbers were also underwhelming: 

Yankees-Nationals: 4.0 million 

Dodgers-Giants: 2.8 million

You could chalk sagging interest up to pandemic conditions, but 5.8 million tuned in to watch Tom Brady hit golf shots into the woods https://t.co/vIPxNc1uDi

— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) August 2, 2020