The Ray Rice scandal has taken its toll on how people view the NFL brand, which has usually been widely regarded by Americans. According to the YouGov BrandIndex, perception of the NFL brand has dropped to as low a level as at any time since 2012, when there were limits put on purses people could bring into stadiums.
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The drop in perception is not benign. It may cost the league and its teams revenue. That could potentially move into TV ad support. There is plenty of precedent for advertisers to move away from controversial sports brands or individual athletes.
The NFL was at its highest perception level of the year on Monday, September 8th — even higher than around the 2014 Super Bowl — when the Baltimore Ravens cut Rice after TMZ posted a video showing him punching his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City hotel elevator earlier this year.
The good news did not last for even a few days:
YouGov BrandIndex measured the NFL with its Buzz score, which asks respondents “If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?”
Buzz score can range from 100 to -100, with a zero score equaling positive and negative feedback. All measurements are for adults 18 and over.
On Monday, September 8th, the NFL’s Buzz score was at its 2014 high of 36. Four days later, the score dropped to -17, which is composed of a -8 score for women and a -27 for men. The June 2012 low score was -26.
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If the low NFL brand number has as silver lining, it is how fast the league has recovered in the past. However, with an investigation into “who knew what when” involving the league and Ray Rice, the brand trouble may drag on, and along with it the damage. In the meantime, however, there is no sign people have stopped turning on their televisions to watch NFL games. Maybe consumers do not care as much about the NFL brand when it comes time to watch their teams.
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