Christmas is a time for giving. And taking.
The NFL has officially taken Christmas from the NBA. And there’s no way the NFL will be giving it back. No matter what the NFL says about not playing games when Christmas lands on a Tuesday or (as it will in 2024) a Wednesday.
The last piece of the Christmas Day ratings puzzle has emerged. Fox averaged 29.021 million viewers on Monday for Giants-Eagles. That’s a 29-percent increase over last year’s Broncos-Rams blowout, which generated 22.574 million.
The early game between the Raiders and the Chiefs racked up 31 million. The late game between the Ravens and 49ers drew 29.2 million. It’s a massive win for the league and the networks that televised the three games. Once that sinks in, the NFL undoubtedly will change its mind about steering clear of Tuesday/Wednesday Christmas games.
Pointing out that inevitability doesn’t mean that’s what I personally want. The numbers show what the audience wants, and more importantly what the audience will consume. They will, on Christmas Day, consume football in massive amounts.
Why wouldn’t the NFL keep giving them more football on Christmas Day?
Will it be inconvenient to schedule three games on a Wednesday next season? Sure. A little inconvenience has never, ever gotten in the way of making maximum profit.
That doesn’t mean the NFL absolutely will alter its current plans to not play on Christmas in 2024. If the NFL doesn’t change course, it will be acting dramatically out of its constant-cash-grab character.