Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Yu, Sherry

Area of Concentration

Economics and Political Science

Abstract

In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement prompted sharply divergent responses from the NBA and NFL. This thesis investigates why the NBA embraced visible activism during its Orlando bubble season while the NFL maintained a restrained “Inspire Change” approach, and assesses the economic consequences of these strategies. Drawing on rational choice and stakeholder theory, the study hypothesizes that fan demographics and revenue models shaped each league’s utility-maximizing decisions. Using a Difference-in-Differences framework on regular-season national telecast viewership from 2016 to 2023, supplemented by qualitative process-tracing of league statements, polls, and sponsor behavior, the analysis compares outcomes before and after 2020. Results show that the NBA experienced a marginally significant short-term decline in viewership relative to the NFL, while the NFL maintained stable ratings. These findings provide partial support for the hypothesis: both leagues acted rationally under distinct structural constraints, with the NBA trading short-term ratings for long-term brand alignment and the NFL prioritizing stability.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

Download

Share

COinS