Did you miss out on the Alabama Crimson Tide stomping Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night, because you're not alone if you did. According to ESPN, 18.7 million people watched the game across ESPN’s various platforms. That’s a lot of people, of course. But it’s also more than six million fewer people than watched LSU beat Clemson for the national title last year before our worldwide pandemic. Not only that, but the number of people who watched Monday night’s game is also fewer than the number of people who watched each of the semifinals on New Years Day.
ESPN said that approximately 19.2 million people watched Ohio State’s Sugar Bowl win over Clemson, while 18.8 million people watched Alabama’s Rose Bowl win over Notre Dame.
It’s the first time in playoff history that the title game has had fewer viewers than the semifinals, and now marks the least-viewed national championship game dating back to the beginning of the BCS.
So.... expand the playoff? Probably!
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