The NFL continues to make headway in their plan to achieve world domination. Tradition is being cast aside in favor of substantial growth. No longer are Sundays, Mondays and Thanksgiving Thursdays the only days synonymous with this cultural giant. Football is stealing some of Santa Claus’ shine, with the league seemingly intent on becoming a Christmas fixture.
Countless families gathered around the living room in between and after their holiday feasts to watch three NFL games, two of which elicited huge reactions. An upset loss to the Las Vegas Raiders was supposed to be definitive evidence that the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynastic ambitions would be delayed or outright erased, and the Baltimore Ravens’ blowout road win over the San Francisco 49ers earned the AFC North power the unofficial title of best team in the league.
Those narratives changed dramatically in just a matter of weeks, but the point stands. Football commanded the national headlines on Christmas Day. In fact, it dominated basketball in the ratings battle, averaging almost four and a half million viewers more than the NBA games. The calendar is playing out much differently in 2024, but Roger Goodell is undeterred.
Although the holiday will be celebrated on a Wednesday, the commish believes the NFL already has a stronghold on Christmas. “The fan reaction. They loved it,” Goodell said ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, per The 33rd team’s Ari Meirov. “Our audience was close to 30 million. We think those are our days.”
While the public tends to get carried away with a soundbite in this day and age, it is difficult to interpret that last sentence as anything but a subtle shot at the NBA.
Could a festive rivalry be brewing between the NFL and NBA?
Basketball has long been intertwined with Dec. 25, or at least it was. Now, the sport could be in danger of becoming the latest casualty of The Shield’s ongoing supremacy. Americans crave football during almost any time of the year and week.
Cramming games into the middle of the week after a Sunday and Monday slate of action, along with non-stop shopping and cooking, could result in fatigue that not even the NFL could cure. But that is not the safe way to bet. This league is just too big to fail any mission Roger Goodell decides to undertake.
Not everyone will be on board with this scheduling change, but the never-ending desire to consume this product will likely result in another ratings boom. Even if Adam Silver and the NBA pull out all the stops, which they presumably will, the country has a severe case of the NFL bug. Unfortunately, the only way to treat this ailment is to weaken The Association.
But based on how both leagues market their talent and generate global interest, there is no reason to hold a crisis meeting.
More must-reads: