The NFL is effectively permeating all aspects of our daily existence, including major holidays.

March 27, 2024

The NFL is effectively permeating all aspects of our daily existence, including major holidays.

The fact that the top sports league is scheduled to play on Christmas, even on a Wednesday, demonstrates its recognition of the need to capitalize on revenue opportunities while it still holds the spotlight.

In the film "Concussion," a character portrayed by the esteemed Albert Brooks remarks to Will Smith's Bennet Omalu, stating, "The NFL now possesses a day of the week. The same day once owned by the church. Now, it belongs to them."

This sentiment seemed prophetic on Tuesday when the league opted to dominate Christmas, following up on 2023's Monday Night Football triple-header by insisting on scheduling games this Christmas on a Wednesday. A rational individual might deduce that the league garnered extraordinary viewership figures from last year's lineup, notably featuring a Ravens–49ers game many perceived as a preview of the Super Bowl. A significant portion of the audience would likely have tuned in even if it coincided with the birth of a child. Hence, the NFL utilized this data as a formidable tool to plow through common-sense objections to playing on Christmas in the middle of the week. This led to the conclusion, articulated by NFL vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder on Tuesday, that "the belief we hold that football brings people together—that's even more evident on these major holidays."

For certain individuals, the announcement might have evoked a sense of foreboding. Here we have a sports league that has effectively penetrated every aspect of our lives, subtly inserting itself between individuals and their extended families on what, for many, is one of the most cherished and inviolable days of the year.

However, as someone who identifies with religious beliefs and regards Christmas Eve and Christmas Day primarily as times for family gatherings and worship (with the occasional glance at the television screen if a game catches my interest before switching over to "It’s a Wonderful Life"), I attempted to adopt a less defensive stance and consider the bigger picture. I watched Ravens-49ers the morning after, and life continued as usual. You can do the same!

It's challenging for us to accurately gauge the significance of the NFL because we are deeply entrenched in it. We find ourselves trying to assess the size of an enormous hot air balloon while being enveloped by it. From within the balloon, we cannot see what might puncture it in the sky, and we struggle to determine if it's expanding or deflating. All we hear from within the balloon is that it's exceptionally large, and we accept these accounts without question.

In truth, this occurrence is merely another juncture in the ongoing evolution of the NFL as our country's favorite pastime. Our cultural sensibilities and preferences evolve over time, and there will come a day when it seems odd to recount spending one of our limited Christmases on Earth watching a player named Jeff Driskell attempting to throw a touchdown pass. It's akin to how our parents may now acknowledge, with hindsight, that making significant life decisions based on their emotions while watching "Saturday Night Fever" was unwise.

From an objective standpoint, it's absurd to compel a group of athletes, who have families of their own, to compete in the midst of a weekday. Take away any potential high-stakes matchups, and you'll probably end up with the type of lackluster game typical of Thursday Night Football, which we've grown accustomed to. This doesn't seem like a demonstration of the NFL's dominance as much as it does a recognition by the league that it needs to capitalize on financial opportunities while it still commands attention.

There's scant indication that the NFL is prioritizing long-term well-being. It's readily embraced gambling and appears indifferent to the growing skepticism about officials and perceptions of game rigging, largely attributable to the integration of gambling. The league appears unconcerned if numerous teams play on synthetic surfaces posing risks to players' ACLs. While some sensible improvements have been made, like the recent adjustments to kickoff procedures, the league seems primarily focused on intensifying our dopamine levels through increased scoring, a goal further complicated by the influence of gambling.

Participating in Christmas games is just another element in this mix of ideas. There's no rational outcome, no coherent plan—just the pursuit of money, more of it, and right now. Similar to 2023, which featured an embarrassingly unbalanced schedule that disadvantaged several good teams from the start and focused solely on maximizing the entertainment value of each game, this year will see more shameless efforts to convey the impression that the NFL is an unstoppable force growing ever larger and stronger.

This will appear amusing when we step outside the bubble. Twenty years from now, on some Christmas, as we sit with our grandchildren watching quirky events like Power Slap, Toe Wrestling, or the Great Cheese Roll, we'll wonder what all the fuss was about—or if we were even truly worked up at all.

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The NFL is effectively permeating all aspects of our daily existence, including major holidays.

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