Hunter Pence # 8 of the San Francisco Giants searches throughout batting practice before the game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Arena on July 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Hunter Pence # 8 of the San Francisco Giants searches throughout batting practice prior to the game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Picture: Harry How/ Getty Images
Image: Harry How/ Getty Images
Hunter Pence # 8 of the San Francisco Giants searches throughout batting practice before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Hunter Pence # 8 of the San Francisco Giants looks on during batting practice before the video game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Picture: Harry How/ Getty Images
Boycott the MLB crowd takes an L as Giants-Dodgers and Yankees-Nationals draw record TV scores
The lack of sports throughout the ongoing pandemic undoubtedly increased interest in the return of live sports, although numerous waxed poetically about how a group of Giants players and coaches who did not stand for the nationwide anthem throughout exhibition games previously in the week would trigger the MLBs opening night rankings to plunge to new lows.
According to Nielsen ratings shared by ESPN, the first regular season game of the season between the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals balanced an audience of 4,00,000 audiences, which is a new record for an MLB opening night video game telecast. The broadcast was the most-watched routine season MLB video game on any network because 2011.
Recent polling reveals a seismic shift in the viewpoints of Americans on national anthem demonstrations in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. A Yahoo News/YouGov survey discovered that 52% of Americans now believe it is “appropriate” for professional athletes to kneel during the national anthem, compared to 36% who discover it inappropriate and 12% who are uncertain. In 2016, when previous San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepnernick first started kneeling, just 28% of respondents said they approved of the demonstrations, with the other 72% opposed or not sure.
Recent polling reveals a seismic shift in the opinions of Americans on nationwide anthem protests in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that 52% of Americans now think it is “proper” for expert athletes to kneel during the national anthem, compared to 36% who discover it unsuitable and 12% who are not sure. In 2016, when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepnernick initially started kneeling, only 28% of participants said they authorized of the protests, with the other 72% opposed or not sure.
Despite the repeated insistence by some that the return of national anthem demonstrations would cause MLB television rankings to crater, the two video games televised to a nationwide audience Thursday night set multiple viewership records.
Eric Ting is an SFGATE press reporter. Email: [email protected]|Twitter:@_ericting
In addition, the late video game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers created an average audience of 2,764,000 viewers, and was the networks most-watched MLB regular season video game in a 10 p.m. ET slot ever. Locally, the broadcast drew a 6.9 rating in the San Francisco market– a figure that makes it the highest-rated routine season MLB video game in the SF market considering that 2013.
