ESPN brand sentiment has taken a major hit over the past month, as their anchors and staff, along with the sports world in general, have begun wading into testy political waters. That’s when President Trump tweeted about the NFL, demanding players show respect for the flag and the national anthem. Jemele Hill, co-host of ESPN’s SportsCenter, tweeted that President Trump is a white supremacist. A 21% drop in consumer sentiment, then, is a huge move with massive implications. Once consumer sentiment turned significantly downward, the “turnaround story” ended immediately, and the stock dropped over 200 points in just a few monthsIt’s clear that wading into politics has had a negative impact on ESPN’s consumer happiness levels.

Source: Forbes October 11, 2017 18:05 UTC