One of the ways the NFL tried to get people to tune into Thursday Night Football in recent years was by featuring “Color Rush” uniforms. Unfortunately, that strategy didn’t exactly pan out, and more often than not those uniforms were universally excoriated, rather than praised.
Heading into 2018, the NFL is ditching those uniforms, Bill Wanger of FOX Sports announced on Tuesday. Additionally, he made it clear that scheduling will be a much bigger focus, which is a good thing considering so many Thursday night games had been total flops.
Bill Wanger of FOX Sports says alternate uniforms on Thursday Night Football are going away. Hardcore fans don’t need gimmicks to watch. The game schedule will also be stronger. #NABShow
— Barrett Sports Media (@BSMStaff) April 10, 2018
All we can really say is, the league can’t do much worse than it has recently on Thursday nights. The “Color Rush” uniforms were ugly and absolutely a gimmick. So cutting that out is a positive development.
But the bigger issue is making sure that games are competitive. Even with better scheduling, however, that’s something that could be tough to do, because teams playing on short rest, especially on the road, typically are a shell of their normal selves. So, if quality is the goal, then Thursday Night Football needs to go away entirely. But we know that’s not happening, because even with lower ratings, the NFL is raking in cash, hand over fist.