For five decades, the Super Bowl defined professional football's ultimate event.  Ever increasing pomp, pageantry, and pizzazz – if not exciting football – encouraged hundreds of millions of Americans to treat the game as a festival, complete with viewing parties.  But are those fans getting fed up?

A survey released Wednesday by the Remington Research Company showed that just 48 percent of Americans will watch Sunday's Super Bowl LIII between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots.  Of the remaining 52 percent, 37 percent said they would not watch, while 15 percent remained uncertain.

Among those who would watch, only 34 percent said they looked forward to the game itself, and 20 percent looked toward the creative commercials.  A vague category, called "something else," received the third largest response: 16 percent – more than the glitzy halftime show, which registered 10 percent.

Moreover, 44 percent don't care who wins.  When projected geographically, fans in 37 of the 50 states are neutral.

The exceptions?  The six New England states where fans obviously root for the Patriots and the seven states where the Rams find support.  Of those seven, six are in the West (California, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Idaho, and New Mexico); the other is New Jersey.

The survey's results reflect decreasing interest in and support for the NFL.  When asked for their opinion of the league, only 34 percent of respondents held a favorable view, with 37 percent regarding the NFL unfavorably and 29 percent not having an opinion.

In addition, 54 percent said they watched less football than in 2017.  Only 26 percent said they viewed the same about of football, with 20 percent increasing their consumption.

Political allegiances played a decisive role in the results.  Among Republicans, unfavorable opinion of the NFL exceeded positive views by 18 percent.  The opposite held true for Democrats, with positive assessments out-polling negative ones by 12 percent.

The controversy surrounding the players' reactions to the National Anthem – a controversy that roiled the NFL in 2017 – provided the pivot for those responses.

The vast majority of respondents, 65 percent, said players should stand respectfully for "The Star-Spangled Banner," as opposed to kneeling to make a political statement.  Republicans agreed with that proposition by a margin of 89 percent, while Democrats split their opinions.

Those percentages held despite the fact that 50 percent viewed President Donald Trump unfavorably, while 44 percent held a positive opinion.  Trump inflamed the controversy in 2017 by saying that players who refused to stand should be, in his words, "fired."

Yet the NFL faces a far bigger problem than patriotic optics.  A narrow majority, 36 percent, believe that officials on the field make unfair calls to benefit a particular team.  Thirty-four percent believe that officials rule fairly, and 30 percent have no idea whether they do.

The results reflect the officiating controversy in the NFC championship game between the Rams and the New Orleans Saints.  Los Angeles defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman used his helmet to hit the helmet of Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis before Lewis could catch a pass thrown toward him. The play warranted a penalty either for pass interference or a helmet-to-helmet hit, yet officials called none.

Robey-Coleman made his move with 1 minute, 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 20.  The Rams would win in overtime on a field goal.

On the day Remington Research released its survey, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell proclaimed his league's resurgence in addressing the state of the NFL.

"This season has demonstrated that there has never been a better time to be a part of the NFL," Goodell said.  "Our game is getting better and better, and our engagement and popularity is unmatched in today’s media landscape." 

Perhaps Goodell would like to talk with some of those who took Remington Research's survey.  Then again, Colin Kaepernick probably has a better chance of joining the John Birch Society.