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What happens on the field will be discussed by CBS announcers. What isn’t happening on the field will not be. Almost like it should be.
First reported by Forbes, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus gave his broadcasting team clear directives to not interject personal opinions on Black Lives Matter, kneeling, social justice of any kind during the broadcast.
“Our announcers on site at the games are not gonna condone, they’re not gonna condemn what’s going on,’ McManus said. “They’re going to report it and they’re going to move on.
“We need to thread the needle just the right way, because there are people who are tuning in just to hear about football. So we need to make sure that we don’t overdo the emphasis on what’s going on in our country, but we’re not gonna ignore it.”
Like many instances when sudden change happens, it is driven by the data.
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans to open the season. They NFL lost in a big way in the ratings.
The game scored a 5.2 rating among adults 18-49 with 16.4 million viewers between 8-11 p.m. ET. While the number will adjust some upward later to 11:30 p.m., it represented a 16.1% drop.
It was the lowest opening night in 10 years.
The ‘Get Woke, Go Broke’ mantra continues to be proven true and it is something, at least partially, being noticed by CBS.
“They’re certainly allowed to talk about what is happening on the field, whether it’s the National Anthem or something else with a name or a phrase on a player’s jersey or on his shoes,” McManus said. “They’re free to talk about that, but we’re gonna do so objectively. They’re not going to interject their opinion or their philosophy. They’re there to cover the game. But if something else happens to be part of the story, they’re going to tell that story.”
CBS will begin its airings — at least this week — with showing the national anthems and what players take what action. McManus said that structure could change as early as next week.
He added that the pregame shows would also walk a very delicate line of coverage as it is becoming more clear that people do not want politics in their sports.
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It’s really great that CBS is listening to the audience and the statistics, very refreshing to know we can all tune in to CBS this season and know we’re going to be able to hear about and just enjoy football!
LOL Anthony…maybe we should wait and see what happens
They’ll cave. Just like 100% of NFL players, coaches, GMs, owners and NFL front office folk.
100% of them.
0% of them took a stand for America, the police…0%. Zero percent.
%&$# the NFL. They aren’t as bad as the NBA, but they will get there.
Shocker… I only wish that more people would tune out to the nba so they can clearly get the message. This is the first time in 23 years that I did no fantasy football. Looking forward to golfing every Sunday.
CBS will still broadcast the SJW garbage. Commentators acting as though it’s not happening,or just saying it is, is just as bad if not worse.
This is the China model for managing speech and expression.
The creeps of BLM and Marixism can express themselves without rebuttal. NFL May need to get used to not having fans.
Chris, I agree. Broadcasts will still cram SJW nonsense down our throats, all while pretending it’s not happening. More gaslighting from the racist-white-liberal-Marxists who want to start a race war.
I’d already decided not to watch the NBA, which is on a whole other level of wokeness……..I was undecided about NFL, until I started seeing wokecenter fools spreading more BLM lies on twitter when discussing NFL. (as if all the BLM violence we see in news is a figment of our imagination) Now I really don’t think I can watch NFL games.
“They’re certainly allowed to talk about what is happening on the field, whether it’s the National Anthem or something else with a name or a phrase on a player’s jersey or on his shoes,” meaning, we will still talk about it…
Between this and Mayfield changing course and deciding to stand, I’m guessing the boos at Arrowhead on Thursday produced some “oh crap” themed conference calls. I can’t wait for Goodell’s proclamation six months from now: “We should have listened to our fans sooner…” Great, thanks, Roger.
Yep. Goodell is just going whatever direction the wind is blowing.
They all should understand anything short of standing and respecting our anthem flag and country I mean just one anthem it won’t matter i will be out as will many others. No kneeling fists in the air or names of criminals on helmets etc will not be tolerated and no staying in the locker room until after our anthem.There i think i covered all this nonsense these idiot fools have tried.
AMEN !!!
They’re going to report it? How about don’t recognize an organization that stands for what they stand for. Black players in constant emotional pain need to adopt another group. NFL – you have had time to look at this and you’re going to go with the path of bleeding out viewers. I’m doing paperwork for Monday’s business and don’t have the NFL on. Tube will be on just not the NFL. Are you fucking stupid.
That’s a lot of words and saying nothing. So, they’re going to report it. Fuck the NFL, I’m golfing at 1:00. Suck it, CBS.
Hey! Here’s a novel idea, and I know it will sound impossible but…JUST CALL THE FOOTBALL GAME. We don’t want to hear ANYTHING about ANYTHING but the game. Got it? Good.
Still not watching…
NFL needs to go full Liberal BS. We need an Affirmative Action Program so the NFL reflects society with salaries based on making the team not performance so no one has their feelings hurt. Well need to go now so I do not miss my tee time. Roger…..this is free advise for you.
So nobody at CBS, in theory, will be lying about how BLM is ‘only about advancing black lives’. How refreshing. The truth shouldn’t be so refreshing, but here we are. That’s the low bar set by our sports media these days.
BLM: Marxist Ghetto Thugs who excel in lawlessness, assault and racism. Nice going pro sports teams, corporations, politicians who have mindlessly supported this fascist equivalent of “Hitler’s Brown Shirts!” ! Then you either deputize armed, law abiding citizens who have observed this bigoted, racist, mentally and morally twisted side show or send in the Military, Marshalls, Home Land Security along with law enforcement and shut these gangsters down. Had enough you folks of all races who are fed up with this nonsense? Vote Republican for law and order and our great President Trump and his team. Dr. Greg Fitch, Ph.D.
Amen. .. Latinos for Trump here