The presidential election takes place today and marks the end of the election process. The election was full of exuberant personalities and never before seen methods. From scandals relating to emails to vulgar comments made about women, the process truly hasn’t been normal. On another note, NFL ratings have been on decline throughout the season, posting ratings that are well below average. Coincidence? I think not.

Statistically, in years paired with a presidential election, NFL ratings haven’t been impressive. This year in particular, the amount of fans tuning into prime-time games have been lackluster. Reasons such as poor football play, spike in penalty yardage, or less bone-crushing have contributed to the downfall of ratings. But Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have had major impacts. This election was like no other. Politics took a back-seat to the extreme personalities of the candidates. Even if you weren’t interested in politics before the start of the process, these candidates sure made it more exciting for you. Viewership of NFL games slowly decreased as the election season strengthened, including having a prime-time game between two of the largest football markets, Giants and Packers, paired against a Presidential Debate. On this occasion, it received the second lowest Sunday Night Football viewership of the season, barely edging out a game between two significantly smaller markets and uninspiring football teams in the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. If this isn’t proof of the election’s effect on the NFL, I don’t know what is.

The election season finally came to an end on Tuesday with the shocking win by the Republican candidate, Donald Trump. League officials of the NFL should have a boost of confidence in the next week in hope that ratings see an increase with the absence of the election competing with games. Football fans will no longer have distractions on TV and can return to a focus on their respective team.