An overwhelming majority of likely voters want politics out of the Super Bowl, a Convention of States Action/Trafalgar Group survey released this week found.
The survey asked, “Do you believe that sporting events, like the Super Bowl, should include political or cultural statements as part of the game and coverage, or just focus on the game itself?”
An overwhelming majority, 84.4 percent, said the event should “just focus on the game,” while just ten percent said it should “include political or cultural statements.” Another 5.6 percent remain unsure.
There appears to be a consensus across the political aisle, as most Democrats and Republicans, 76.7 percent and 93.4 percent, respectively, believe the event should focus on the game alone. Just 15.6 percent of Democrats believe it should include cultural or political statements — a sentiment held by only 3.7 percent of Republicans.
Further, most independents, 82.2 percent, agree with the majority of Democrats and Republicans, who believe the event should focus on the sport alone.
The survey was taken February 2-5, 2023, among 1,092 likely general election voters and has a +/- 2.9 percent margin of error.
The survey follows years of controversy within the NFL over national anthem protests — a time when many players, following former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s lead, refused to stand for the anthem. This, as well as the NFL’s commitment to “increase social justice messaging,” triggered severe backlash, as many NFL fans vowed to boycott the sport:
End racism. #ItTakesAllOfUs pic.twitter.com/IU4G626FvQ
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2020
As Breitbart News reported at the time:
A source recently told Front Office Sports that the NFL is “bringing back a lot of [social justice] elements from last year,” including helmet decals with left-wing messages, sideline signage, and the playing of the song “Lift Ev’ry Voice and sing” — the purported “black national anthem” — major events.
This year’s Super Bowl will take place Sunday, February 12, in a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.