People who say they are less of a fan now than they were five years ago are more than twice as likely as everyone else to say the NFL is doing “too much to show respect for its Black players.”

They’re also significantly less likely to approve of the league’s Rooney rule, which for the last two decades has required NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching positions and certain other high-level jobs…

The group who say they are now lesser fans is disproportionately Republican, the poll found. Nearly half of those who identified themselves as Republicans or independents who lean to the GOP said their interest as fans had declined over the last five years. By comparison, only one-quarter of Democrats and independents who lean Democratic said that.