Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Insider
Many years ago, there was a time when watching professional football on TV at Christmas was considered inappropriate.
In time, it may seem strange not to do so without a lot of imagination.
On top of everything else we learned over the last weekend, that celebratory football continues to work very well, and pigskins and blanket pigs, touchdowns and turkeys, sacks and stuffing, and It was to go well together like the 4th down and fixation.
December 25th was once a staple day for some of the biggest names in the NBA and basketball, but no longer. Whether or not a full-blown battle over Santa’s favorite day erupts will be an interesting sporting his subplot for years to come.
Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, and the NFL played three games during the Christmas season.
It’s not just the Green Bay Packers who beat the Miami Dolphins and continued their playoff hopes. Or from the Los Angeles Rams who shattered Denver and put Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett on the chopping board. Or, from Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to maintain pole position in the NFC South with a narrow comeback win against the Arizona Cardinals.
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No, the biggest move has been by the league itself, past planning stages sticking a triple header on a day long avoided. , the NFL canceled 25-day games until 1989.
It dipped its toes into the holiday frost for several years after that, and sometimes bounced back again, as the NFL played two games last year, one in 2020 and two games that hadn’t played in the previous two years. , the NBA leaned heavily on its biggest star.
As of now, the Los Angeles Lakers have played every Christmas for the past seven years, the Golden State Warriors have played every year for the last 10 years, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have been in the Ho Ho Hoops since 2018. There is
For 15 years, the NBA has booked five consecutive games throughout the day. From the time you open a present to the time you nod on the couch after the kids go to bed, there’s something for you. .
At this point, we can only speculate on what future plans for either side might look like, but it feels increasingly unlikely that the “NBA owns Christmas” narrative holds true.
Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcasting, told Buffalo’s WGR radio station earlier this year, “When Christmas falls on NFL game day, we’ve had a lot of success there. It’s a tribute to our friends in the NBA.” increase.
We’ll see how things play out in the next few years, but North has already said he has a couple games scheduled for 2023, when Christmas falls on a Monday.
Considering the NFL has only played two Wednesday games in the last 74 years, 2024 could be a wash, with one opener being President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. Moved to accommodate, and once during the height of COVID.
So, two years from now, he could be the last Noel the NBA can hog for at least a long time.
Christmas Thursday 2025 offers the opportunity to play on all four days of the holiday. Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday, giving us another chance for a football-filled holiday weekend.
It will be an interesting brawl. The NBA won’t give up on his one of the most anticipated events of the regular season, the Christmas Showcase. It is also considered a feather in the hat when teams and stars are selected to participate.
The big thing the NFL has in its favor with regards to the game this time of year is that the game has the inherent potential to become very important regarding the postseason. is difficult.
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When announced, the Rams-Broncos matchup ultimately looked much juicier than reality dictated. Both grinning matches had serious implications.
Some questions still remain, but they are not the same as in the past. For now, the pertinent question isn’t whether you want the NFL to be part of your Christmas, but how much of a help you want it to be.
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Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX When Subscribe to our daily newsletter.
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