Morning gang. We're going to move quickly today.
NFL a second-fiddle
The presidential debates will be parts circus, part reality TV and part overriding hatefest.
They also are TV ratings gold.
The debate Monday night drew 84 million viewers. It also delivered the latest troubling TV number to the NFL.
The week three Monday night game had a 5.7 overnight rating, which is one of the worst in the long history of the franchise. It also is down 22 percent to a comparable game going against a presidential debate four years ago.
This comes off an opening weekend of the NFL that was down double-digits from last year and a combined start to Monday night football that is down 12 percent for the first couple weeks of the year.
San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid (35) and quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) kneel during the national anthem before last Saturday's NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)Protest, next chapter
Colin Kaepernick took a knee during our nation anthem last month. You may have heard of it.
Last weekend, there were three Nebraska players who sat out the anthem.
Here was the view from Hal Daub, one of the Nebraska regents:
"It's a free country," Daub told the Journal Star on Tuesday. "They don't have to play football for the university either.
"They know better, and they had better be kicked off the team," he added. "They won't take the risk to exhibit their free speech in a way that places their circumstance in jeopardy, so let them get out of uniform and do their protesting on somebody else's nickel."
Daub continued: "Those publicity seeking athletes ought to rethink the forum in which they chose to issue their personal views at the expense of everyone else."
Giddy-up.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, in New York.Baseball
Every division race in baseball has been decided.
That seems about right on a baseball season that has been forever forgettable.
The wildcard race, though is quite compelling.
Here's the update.
This and that
- JJ Watt may be done for the year. That's not good.
- Some great back and forth on the death of Arnold Palmer here. https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/arnold-palmer-sent-telegram-jack-144944422.html
- Here's a pretty savage billboard from a Tuscaloosa realtor. http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/alabama-realtor-cashes-in-on-les-miles-firing-with-cold-blooded-billboard/
- Here's a pretty entertaining story about the dude who won the Nobel Prize for living with goats and the news crew who could not make it through the story without laughing. http://www.barstoolsports.com/iowa/dude-who-lived-with-goats-wins-the-nobel-prize-for-it-news-anchors-laugh-their-asses-off-reporting-it/?utm_campaign=SocialflowTw&utm_source=BarstoolTw&utm_medium=Socialflow
Today's questions
Feel free to chime in on any of the above. We have two questions for you today.
First, Young Jeezy is 39 today. At what age does Young Jeezy simply become Jeezy?
Secondly, Steve Largent is 62 today. Who is on the Rushmore of white wide receivers?
Go, and remember the mailbag.