NFL, ESPN Challenge Your Christmas Dedication

When the schedule first came out in April 2007, the first thing I noticed was the Monday Night game scheduled between the Broncos and Chargers. December 24th. Christmas Eve. How could the NFL let this happen?

It was only last year that NBC’s Sunday Night Football opted not to host a game on Christmas Eve night. The Sunday Night Football package is the NFL’s premiere broadcast now, boasting flex scheduling and the best prime time booth in John Madden and Al Michaels. They had the smarts and decency not to hold a football game on the evening of December 24th.

They weren’t alone. NFL games on Christmas Eve night never happen.

The last time December 24th fell on a Monday was in 2001. There was no game played that evening.

In 1990, Christmas Eve also landed on a Monday. There was no game played that evening.

In fact, according to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A PRIME TIME GAME ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

And for good reason. Not only is it smart business (less viewers will watch the evening of December 24th), but it’s common courtesy to a viewing audience that is, in large part, Christian. It’s the single-biggest evening of the American holiday season, and Roger Goodell and company completely blew it.

Why couldn’t you have moved it to a Saturday, Mr. Goodell, like they did in years past (in 2001 the NFL even called it the “Saturday Edition of Monday Night Football”)? Oh, that’s right, Mr. Goodell, you have a fledgling NFL Network that owns Saturdays now, even if half the nation can’t see the games. Heaven forbid you show two games on one night.

It’s an equally bad job by ESPN, who are showing their money-lust all the same. Again, I will compare it to NBC’s Sunday Night Football, which opted to cancel two games last year (not reschedule – cancel). The first was in October for the World Series; the second was the aforementioned Christmas Eve night game. NBC gave up two prime time games last year out of respect to their fans.

ESPN did neither. Had the Rockies forced a Game 5 of the World Series, not only would there have been competing big games from the two sports worlds, but they both would have been in Colorado! Mere miles apart!

Instead of canceling either game, ESPN would rather just move the time of kickoff up by an hour or so. They did that for this Christmas Eve game – they were prepared to do that for the Packers @ Broncos game as well. As if that makes a difference.

Have you no class, ESPN? Have you no class, NFL?

It’s a pretty simple choice for me. Without getting religious, at the VERY LEAST, Christmas Eve is a day for family and friends. I’ll probably watch the game, recorded on the DVR, mid-Christmas afternoon, when most of the family will be lounging about, enjoying their presents.

But as far as the night of Christmas Eve is concerned, I’ll be sharing my time with my family, and celebrating my faith.

It’s just such a bad job by the NFL and ESPN to try to force a choice on me in the first place.