With a string of domestic abuse cases bombarding the NFL recently, it’s no surprise that confidence in the pro sports league is flagging.
But despite NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s press conference on Friday, the league is performing at its worst in over two years in the eyes of the public, according to YouGov BrandIndex, a company that tracks brand awareness.
On a scale from 100 to -100, the NFL’s “Buzz Score” currently measures at -42, according to a report released Wednesday. That’s as of Sept. 22 when 10,000 responses were tabulated.
The company asked the following question: “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?”
On Sept. 8, the NFL “was at its highest consumer perception point of the year” with a score of 36. On that day, however, TMZ released the video of Ray Rice assaulting his then-fiancée in an elevator.
YouGov BrandIndex has been tracking perception of the NFL for the last two-and-a-half years.