The NFL has stolen Christmas from the NBA. Next year, the NFL plans to give it back.
RIGHT.
NFL executive V.P. of media distribution Hans Schroeder tells Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal that the league will not stage games when Christmas lands on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Next year, Christmas lands on Wednesday.
I don’t believe it. That’s not to say I think Hans is being untruthful. I believe he’s telling the truth as the truth currently is. I just don’t believe the truth will remain true. With Christmas 2024 landing on a Wednesday, I believe the league will indeed play games that day.
It won’t be easy to schedule. It might require, for example, having the six Christmas teams play the prior Thursday and/or Friday. Or perhaps it will require a more creative use of bye weeks, giving the Christmas teams the prior weekend off.
Whatever it takes. However it takes it. The league already has shown that it can play games on Tuesday and Wednesday, during the pandemic. There’s no way the owners will want to surrender the TV territory it has seized from the NBA.
So, yes, for now the position is “no games when Christmas lands on Tuesday or Wednesday.” By next year, that will change.
If it doesn’t, I’ve completely misread the motivation for every effort by the NFL to grab every last dollar that it can. Because it does. Why would it stop when the impediment is something that a little calendar manipulation can fix?
