When some 20 million people tuned in to watch the start of the NFL season, Joe Biden's campaign was there with a minute-long campaign ad. And that's only the beginning. Fans will continue getting a dose of presidential politics during commercial breaks.
It also means people watching football in Texas, for instance, will see his pitch too. According to polling averages, Biden trails narrowly in Texas, a state that is traditionally an easy win for Republicans but has been gradually getting more Democratic. Spending a lot of money targeting Texas wouldn't really make sense for the Biden campaign, but having his ads air there can't hurt when that same ad is also airing in North Carolina, Florida and Michigan.
For Trump, there has been some question about whether his campaign would advertise during NFL games because of his longstanding active campaign against NFL players who kneel for the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality. Already in this nascent season, the calls for racial justice have been loud and clear from league-sponsored advertising to players staying in the locker room during the anthem.
Last month, Trump said he was working to get the NFL restarted"as long as they stand for our national anthem, as long as they honor our flag and our country," Trump said."If they start kneeling I'm not going to help them much. They might come back but I'm not going to be watching. Neither will a lot of other people."
It's not clear whether he watched, but millions of others did. And with those local ad buys, Trump's campaign was trying to reach them. Kneeling or not, the power of the NFL to reach TV audiences is undeniable. "The NFL, even pre-Covid, is the most powerful advertising vehicle," said Link."In some markets, you get Super Bowl-like numbers on a Sunday."
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