I have a confession to make. My love for football got the best of me and I joined with a hundred million other fans to watch most of Sunday’s Super Bowl game.

In 2016, I publicly professed that I wouldn’t pull for my beloved San Francisco 49ers because their then quarterback decided to promote his cause by refusing to stand for the National Anthem.

He is no longer affiliated with my 49ers, but his National Anthem protest has spread to many players throughout the league and as a result, I decided prior to this season I would not watch any televised NFL games. It’s a boycott I did not take lightly and for the most part I was able to stick to successfully.

It’s not that I’m against the causes of the NFL players. They have legitimate concerns about social issues in our nation. But there is no doubt in my mind they can get their point across without what I view as being disgraceful to our country for kneeling during the National Anthem.

Now some people may call me a hypocrite, and that’s their prerogative, for watching Sunday’s Super Bowl. I have never claimed to be perfect.

But what a game — if you enjoy offensive football. There were more than 1,100 combined offensive yards between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, a Super Bowl record.

The game remained in doubt all the way to the final whistle with the Eagles taking a 41-33 win over the heavily favored Patriots.

I found myself cheering for the underdog Eagles, a team that has never enjoyed the sweet victory of a Super Bowl title. Before long, I realized how much I missed watching and enjoying NFL football.

I still take issue with the way many of the NFL players decided to promote their cause by refusing to stand for the National Anthem, but I’m hopeful the league will address both the concerns of players and the fans, like me, who boycotted the season. It appears the boycott of many fans had an impact. The television numbers do not lie as viewership was down significantly this season.

According to Sports Business Daily, viewership was down for the second straight season by about ten percent compared to a year ago.

That should be a concern for the league.

Rob Sigler is editor of The Vicksburg Post. Readers are invited to submit their opinions for publication.