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>Ratings for sporting events are down dramatically

I think maybe some of the kneeling and other political / social virtue signalling by sporting codes are having an effect too.

I know I am fed up. The same ideology is broadcast at work, on the news, on art/film/theatre/books, social media and now sports. I feel like the protagonist in "A Clockwork Orange" with my eyelids stapled open and being force fed a mind virus.

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That's what did it for me. I was already a bit sour with the amount of ads in the NFL, but when it became political on the field, that was enough.

Agree or disagree with the position, but I watch sports to take a break from reality.

I suspect most of the athletes are okay with you not watching. For them, sports are reality and not escapism.

Perhaps the tens of millions of dollars in annual income driven by television broadcasting and advertising sales is also a large part of their reality and motivation, no?

What percentage do you estimate when you say “a large part”?

I agree that it is perhaps possible that some olympians derive motivation from potential economic returns. I think that’s what you’re trying to say, right?

I posit that is not the primary motivator, and projecting motivations on a group of people tells us more about your motivations than theirs.

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