Implications on the NFL's PR
< PHOTO: THE ODYSSEY ONLINE
Domestic Violence in the NFL
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Data collected supports the theory that fans do have a skewed perception of the NFL. Yet as research shows, viewers acknowledge the wrong but do not demand it be fixed; fans are still watching football and buying products endorsed by the players. Despite the NFL still making millions, there are other ways that their image is shifting. And if the NFL does not start taking more control of these situations, fans may eventually begin to walk away.
The NFL's PR Approach
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In 2014 after the Rice incident, Commissioner Goodell appointed Anna Isaacson as the NFL’s Vice President of Social Responsibility
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Isaacson and her team set out to speak to roughly 150 experts and organizations across the nation to collect information and develop a strategy
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The NFL is donating $5 million a year for five years to the National Domestic Violence Hotline
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“Domestic Violence 101” program for NFL employees and players including Q&A sessions and video testimonials
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The NFL partnered with No More to air PSAs during football season that featured current and former NFL players speaking out against domestic violence
The NFL and the Female Fan
One could argue that the NFL is demonstrating to its players that they can abuse women and get away with it without punishment. A study released stated that female fan viewership of the NFL dropped from 2.9 million in 2013 to 2.6 million in 2015. This equates to roughly 250,000 less female fans (Clinkscales, 2016). Doing a better job in handling the domestic violence instances does not guarantee that the female viewership will increase again; however, it is possible that there is a correlation.
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< PHOTO: DOUG MURRAY/ICON SMI/CORBIS
Are NFL Players Role Models?
Some may argue that professional athletes are role models to children across the world. These two parents have different opinions about children looking up to NFL stars. Richard Borresen who signed with the Dallas Cowboys for 5 weeks is a father of four thinks parents should serve as role models to their children. But Christina Meehan, an NYPD officer with a daughter thinks players need to do a better job handling themselves off the field.
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PHOTO >: PARENTS MAGAZINE
Bleacher Report's "Inside the NFL's Domestic Violence Punishment Problem"
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Rodney Austin signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions in 2012. Austin was arrested on April 17, 2015, for charges of domestic violence.
“The NFL is definitely inconsistent,” says Austin, who was found guilty on domestic violence charges after a fight with his girlfriend, though Austin disputes her account of events. Austin says he thinks the league’s ongoing investigation of Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott—who faces domestic violence allegations which he denies—remained conveniently incomplete as Dallas marched into the playoffs. “They want to protect their investments. They want to protect their stars who are either coming into or are in the prime of their career. Zeke is out there playing and I’m not.”