Does the NFL Play on Christmas Day?
Contents
It’s a question that’s been asked for years – does the NFL play on Christmas Day? Get the answer here.
Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) is the professional American football league. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The NFL Christmas games are a tradition that dates back to the league’s earliest days.
In 2006, the NFL decided to move all of its games on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to Saturday and Sunday, respectively, in order to avoid competing with college football bowl games that are typically played on those days. However, there have been several notable exceptions to this rule.
History of the NFL on Christmas Day
The National Football League has a long history of playing games on Christmas Day. The first NFL game on Christmas Day took place in 1921, and since then there have been dozens of games played on December 25th. The NFL has become increasingly popular in recent years, and Christmas Day games have become a tradition for many fans. However, some people argue that the NFL should not be playing on such a holy day. Let’s take a look at the history of the NFL on Christmas Day.
The first NFL game on Christmas Day
The first NFL game on Christmas Day was played in 1971 between the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys. The game was a regular season contest and was televised on CBS. The Dolphins won the game, 27-14.
Since that time, there have been several other NFL games played on Christmas Day, although it is not a regular occurrence. In most years, there are no games scheduled on Christmas Day. When games are scheduled, they are usually played in the afternoon or evening so as not to interfere with people’s holiday plans.
The most recent NFL game on Christmas Day
The most recent NFL game on Christmas Day was in 2016, when the Baltimore Ravens played the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was the first time in NFL history that a game had been played on Christmas Day. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday, December 25, but was moved to Saturday, December 24 due to a snowstorm.
Why the NFL does not play on Christmas Day
Christmas is a day that is celebrated by Christians around the world to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. The NFL has never played on Christmas Day, and there are a few reasons why. The most important reason is that Christmas is a religious holiday, and the NFL respects that. There are also practical reasons, such as the fact that there are already a lot of other professional and college football games played on that day.
Lack of interest
The most likely explanation for why the NFL does not play on Christmas Day is simply that there is not enough interest from fans. Football is not generally considered a holiday sport in the way that, say, basketball is. Additionally, many people have other plans on Christmas Day and are not interested in spending the day watching football. For these reasons, it does not make sense for the NFL to schedule games on Christmas Day.
Low TV ratings
The National Football League (NFL) has never played a regular season game on Christmas Day. In recent years, the NFL has been scheduled to play on Christmas Eve (Sunday, December 24), but not on the holiday itself. The reason for this is low TV ratings.
During the holiday season, people are busy with shopping, parties, and other activities. They are not likely to sit down and watch a football game, even if it is their favorite team playing. For this reason, the NFL avoids scheduling games on Christmas Day.
There have been a few exceptions to this rule. In 1971, the Miami Dolphins played a game against the Dallas Cowboys on December 25. The game was moved to Christmas Day because of a blizzard that hit the area. However, this was an exception and not the norm.
In 1989, the San Francisco 49ers played a game against the Los Angeles Rams on December 25. This was also an exception due to bad weather. The game was originally scheduled for December 24 but was moved because of heavy rains in Southern California.
These are the only two times in NFL history that regular season games were played on Christmas Day.
Poor attendance
One of the primary reasons that the NFL does not play on Christmas Day is because attendance would likely be very poor. This is due to the fact that many people have prior engagements on Christmas Day, such as attending religious services, spending time with family, or preparing a large Christmas dinner. Furthermore, travelling to and from a football game would likely be quite difficult on Christmas Day given the increased travel and holiday congestion. As such, it is not surprising that the NFL tries to avoid scheduling games on Christmas Day.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the NFL does play on Christmas day, but the games are not always played on the 25th. Instead, they are often played on the 26th, 27th, or even the 28th. This is because the NFL wants to avoid competing with other holiday events and give their players a break from all the holiday festivities.
