Regular season NFL ratings for 2018 have risen since the number of players protesting the National Anthem dropped drastically.

The Washington Times reports:

After a two-year decline in television ratings, the NFL announced Wednesday that its 2018 ratings jumped by 5 percent, drawing an average of 15.8 million viewers per game versus 14.9 million during the 2017 regular season. Viewership was still down compared to the 2016 regular season, when the league averaged 16.5 million per game, after peaking at 17.9 million in 2015. Digital streaming viewership also soared by 86 percent from the previous year.

The uptick in viewership could be attributed to many things, including the fact that 73 games have been decided by three points or fewer.

However, the Times notes, “there was little news coverage surrounding the take-a-knee protests, mainly because there wasn’t much to cover.”

Only three players consistently took a knee during the national anthem so far this year, and all three of them missed multiple games for different reasons.

For the full report, click HERE.