Like Pourhouse, e’s Bar on the Upper West Side is switching off ESPN — at least during the first presidential debate’s 9 to 10:30 p.m. time slot.
The debate is expected to reduce ratings for Monday Night Football by as much as 20 percent, according to WSJ.com.
Some New York sports bars say they are sticking with football — because there’s less potential for violence.
“No politics at the bar,” a manager at the Upper East Side’s East End Bar & Grill said. “Last time we tried that we had too many arguments.”
Claire Atkinson adds, "In fact, the gravitational pull of the Clinton-Trump race is so strong that even rock-solid NFL ratings have seen a drop — off 12 percent in Week 2 of the season."
On Monday, the first presidential debate is expected to draw an audience of up to 110 million people. (In contrast, “Monday Night Football” is being forecast to draw just 11 million.)
Wow.
[NY Post]
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