Speech's Tie-In With NFL: Winner or Loser for McCain?

[question everything]

The Wall Street Journal

Speech's Tie-In With NFL: Winner or Loser for McCain?
August 28, 2008; Page A5

Barack Obama may get to give his acceptance speech in a football stadium Thursday, but exactly one week later, John McCain will have a football issue of another kind. The Republican candidate will accept his party's nomination on Sept. 4, the same evening the National Football League season opens on NBC with a game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants. Network executives and Republican operatives negotiated last spring to move up the start time of the game to 7 p.m. EDT from 8:30.

Is this good or bad for the GOP? If the game runs long, Sen. McCain may have to delay his speech. But the game also could deliver an enormous lead-in audience of football fans, many of them drawn from the nation's political capital -- and its financial capital. Last year's season opener drew around 12 million viewers, easily winning its time period. Around 12 million viewers tuned in to the first night and 14.5 million tuned in to the second night of the Democratic National Convention on all three broadcast networks.

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will do a short segment during halftime previewing Sen. McCain's speech, which is likely to begin around 10 p.m. EDT, though the Republican National Committee hasn't set its official schedule yet.

(snip)

If injuries or overtime make the game run much over three hours, the campaign hasn't decided whether or not to hold the speech, said Mr. Bounds. The time will be announced in advance, but the convention rarely runs on schedule -- building in some flexibility. If the speech begins too late, some of the Republican candidate's most ardent supporters -- senior citizens -- could be ready to hit the hay. Sen. McCain, who turns 72 on Friday, has a 10-point lead among voters aged 65 and older, according to a July Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.



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[Bleacher Creature]

1. Pray for OVERTIME!!!!

And lots of long instant replay challenges.

[Lucky 13]

2. I think this is BAD for McCain.

What do people do during football games? DRINK. Especially opening night. And nobody's in the mood to watch that old fart ramble on about dehydrated babies and picking lettuce after drinking and watching football all night.

As for me, I am praying for overtime with the Skins coming out on top!

[FVZA_Colonel]

3. I am concerned it could bring more people in.

But that he has to compete with football (which he does, despite how it's set up now) isn't that good.

[givemebackmycountry]

4. As a RABID football fan let me add this to the discussion....

NFL game ends.
I pick up remote.
I switch to ESPN to see post game commentary and other mindless drivel.

Hugh issue for McGramps!1111

[GrizzlyMan]

5. This is PRECISELY what I said Sunday night

Let's also not forget about people watching the game at watch parties in private homes and at sports bars. I've yet to meet a bartender who would turn off ESPN to put on a political speech.

They also have another problem on Saturday, the beginning of the college FB season as they attempt their "VP roll out". Good luck with that McSame

[maseman]

6. I do sports broadcasting research for a living

You are spot on. Post game TV and radio analysis is going to hurt him especially the Men 25-54 demographic. Also, how many people will be leaving a bar, friend's house, etc. and listen to post-game on the radio on their way home.

Also, factor in the hurricane coverage.

[BeyondGeography]

7. DUH

(Baddissimo.)

[truthisfreedom]

8. Uhh... people, do we give a crap what happens on McClown's speech night?

A noun, a verb, and "I was a POW."

[Uzybone]

9. Very BAD

I might have watched his speech just see how much of a fool he would make of himself. But now I am definitely not going to watch. Like most football fans, Ill switch to ESPN or NFL network to listen to post-game talk, and then run online to work on my NFL fantasy teams. Mcsame will be hurt by this.