The NFL will have a doubleheader on Christmas Day this coming season. The decision was made during the annual NFL meetings this week.
It’s not necessarily abnormal for the NFL play on Christmas. What’s odd here is that the holiday lands on a Wednesday, meaning that we’re looking at two mid-week games.
The league has obviously expanded its schedule. That included a Black Friday game the day after Thanksgiving this past season. The league will also play in Brazil on a Friday this coming campaign to open up the regular season.
Commissioner Roger Goodell and Co. are making it clear. The NFL is top dog as it relates to professional sports in North American. It is now stealing a holiday that has traditionally been reserved for the NBA.
We know about the ratings. This can’t be lost on the powers that be around the gridiron world. Why not take advantage of it on one of the biggest holidays the calendar has to offer?
Even then, there is a sense around the social media world that the league is attempting to create its own type of Monopoly within the professional sports world.
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Social media reacts to NFL planning Christmas Day doubleheader
It was this past year that the National Football League absolutely dominated the NBA when it came to television ratings on Christmas Day.
The Las Vegas Raiders’ upset over the Kansas City Chiefs drew an average audience of 29.2 million. The Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the New York Giants drew 29 million viewers. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens’ blowout over the San Francisco 49ers saw an average of 27.1 million viewers.
In comparison, the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Boston Celtics was the most watched of the five NBA games. It averaged a mere 5 million viewers.
Don’t think that all of this was lost on social media as Tuesday’s announcement made its public rounds.