# McCain vs the NFL **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 4, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042 "2008-09-04T20:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/21 "2008-09-05T19:35:44Z")
What’s to spin? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/22 "2008-09-05T19:46:28Z")
> [@ArizonaTeach](#): > > Well, I guess this question is answered. > > [McCain TV Ratings Beat Obama in Preliminary Numbers](http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/09/mccain_tv_ratings_beat_obama_i.php). > > So…spin time? What do you imagine needs to be spun? McCain didn’t speak until after the game was over, so there was no conflict. The numbers for him and Obama were really about the same. McCain got about 1/2 million more watchers than Obama, which easily explained by the lead-in he got on NBC from the football game. Basically, the same people watched both conventions. At least Obama kept his audience awake, though. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/23 "2008-09-05T19:48:10Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > What’s to spin? > [@dalej42](#): > > The first NFL game could easily draw attention and viewers away from McCain. People are back from vacation and many of them are likely to get together at a sports bar and watch football, not McCain. > [@DigitalC](#): > > i’d put money on that getting much higher ratings than McCain any day. > [@SteveMB](#): > > Hey, it provides a ready-made excuse for bad ratings. I’ll freely admit that I never in a million years thought McCain would get anywhere near Obama’s ratings (and it’s still iffy he surpassed him; I’d have to see final ratings and breakdowns there), but considering how one week ago Obama’s spectacular numbers were proof of…something…to his supporters, and the predictions of an utter failure to approach those numbers, I’m curious to see how this is spun. On preview: Ah, that’s how. It can’t possibly be that more people were interested in McCain. But insults, yes, insults we can do. SOP. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/24 "2008-09-05T19:58:50Z")
Obama did not have McCain’s advantahge of an NFL lead-in in the New York market, but other than that, why would you expect the ratings to be any different? I never expected that. The same people watch both conventions. Obama’s still up by 4 in the polls, by the way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/25 "2008-09-05T20:00:33Z")
**ArizonaTeach** , you started spinning when you referred to McCain having to fight the NFL when it had already been established that the game was rescheduled to avoid a conflict. Besides, I thought being a celebrity who draws large crowds was a bad thing. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KOrmOvHysdU/hqdefault.jpg "John McCain Celebrity Ad - Feat. Paris Hilton") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOrmOvHysdU) > [@LonghornDave](#): > > But isn’t an interview on a highly rated show more intrusive than a commercial? At the very least, I would think an unbiased person would state that both candidates crashed theother’s party but that Obama is doing it in a bigger way. I may be mistaken, but I thought it was common practice for candidates to have a self imposed “quiet time” during the other’s convention. McCain appeared on **The Tonight Show** during the Democratic convention. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/26 "2008-09-05T20:08:07Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > **ArizonaTeach** , you started spinning when you referred to McCain having to fight the NFL when it had already been established that the game was rescheduled to avoid a conflict. Besides, I thought being a celebrity who draws large crowds was a bad thing. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOrmOvHysdU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOrmOvHysdU) > > McCain appeared on **The Tonight Show** during the Democratic convention. A show that has 5 times the ratings of O’Reilly. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/27 "2008-09-05T20:27:36Z")
> [@ArizonaTeach](#): > > On preview: Ah, that’s how. It can’t possibly be that more people were interested in McCain. But insults, yes, insults we can do. SOP. They’re not running for Celebrity in Chief, they’re running for Commander in Chief. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/28 "2008-09-05T22:09:09Z")
I was surprised to see McCain get better ratings. Here’s my two reasons why. 1. Labor Day weekend is over. Obama was on right before the holiday weekend. 2. Obama’s viewers aren’t as likely to watch on tv. In fact, this Obama viewer watched Obama’s speech online. ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042/29 "2008-09-05T23:43:56Z")
True, McCain did have a football game going the same day as his speech. Granted, it was only one game, a boring one, and most of the people watching were already at home infront of TVs anyway. Hmmm, I wonder though if Obama had to compete with such things as football… [Waaaakeforest…](http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/scoreboard?w=1&c=all) Huh, how about that? 14 games including @ Miami, Stanford, and Georga Tech to name a few. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t college stadiums also generally hold alot more people that an NFL stadium? Not counting the one that Obama had filled to higher capacity than the team that plays there. And wouldn’t those college crowds also be the very same groups of people that would likely be supporting Obama? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-vs-the-nfl/462042.md?page=1)