Whenever I'm asked what's wrong with NASCAR attendance and TV ratings, I respond that it's not just NASCAR that is having those issues.  That, it's a sign of the times.

For evidence, I present the NFL's TV numbers from 2017.

The NFL has been, and continues to be, the Mack Daddy.  The league by whom all others are measured.  Until the last two years, it has been like Teflon in the changing world of sports broadcasting.  But, the changes have now caught up.

According to USA Today, NFL viewership fell by 10% in 2017, on the heels of an 8% drop in 2016 (one that was largely attributed to the presidential race).  The past season, there was an average of 14.9 million people watching at any time.  A year ago, that was 16.5.

Now, I'm not suggesting that, as a result, we should minimize the drops in NASCAR.  They're real and should be a concern.  What it does tell us it that, as the NFL and other leagues are doing, we need to find out how to attract new fans and, most importantly, appeal to young people.