Is Peyton Manning responsible for the NFL's ratings decline?

Yahoo! Sports

Everything from kneeling players to Donald Trump have been blamed for the NFL's drop in viewership. But one thing the last two NFL seasons have lacked is Peyton Manning, who retired after winning the Super Bowl in February 2016. "Traditionally the NFL hasn’t relied on a single star to drive ratings," says Dan Wetzel. "As such, when one retires, as Manning did following the 2015 season when he led Denver to the Super Bowl, the numbers don’t take a hit the way they can for the NBA, PGA or other sports when a Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods isn’t around. Manning might be an exception. The uber-popular personality drew in casual viewers in ways that no one else in the league could, or can."