Published on: September 15, 2014
by Kevin CoupeNot surprising, at least IMHO, is the Advertising Age story reporting that the YouGov BrandIndex, which rates daily brand consumer perceptions, says that the National Football League (NFL) "buzz" score has dropped from +36 to -17 in the week following the Ray Rice domestic violence controversy.
According to the story, "The NFL's score plummeted as it dealt with a constant drumbeat of negative headlines and scathing commentary, including allegations that it ignored video evidence of Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee in an elevator in Atlantic City in February."
This seems entirely fair to me. In fact, -17 may not be nearly low enough, and since it seems likely that the "constant drumbeat" is going to continue, I suspect that the number could get lower. A lot lower.
The stories are disgusting. The behavior of football players who seem to believe that the ability to beat up men on weekends empowers them to beat up anybody else they want during the week has thrown a pall on the league and the game, and it has been made worse by the largely ham-handed league management and ownership, which, it seems to me, has zero credibility in what it says and what it does. Maybe less.
The problem, of course, is that nothing will happen to people like Commissioner Roger Goodell until sponsors stop supporting the league, and that will only happen until consumers stop supporting those sponsors. Maybe I've been doing this for too long and I'm too cynical, but I'm not convinced that this is going to happen.
Violence is violence. Whether it is against women or children, it cannot be tolerated. There cannot be mixed messages, or these cycles of violence will only continue.
I thought NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter got it pretty much right yesterday on ESPN's "NFL Sunday Countdown." See it here.
The whole situation has been an Eye-Opener. But not in a good way.
- KC's View: