Why NFL Games Are on Saturday
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The NFL schedule is always a hot topic of discussion, and one of the most common questions is why games are played on Saturday. While there are a number of factors that go into the decision, the main reason is simply that it provides the most exposure for the NFL.
The History of NFL Games on Saturday
The NFL has been playing games on Saturday for almost as long as the league has been in existence. Saturday games were introduced in 1934, just the second year of the NFL’s existence. The league experimented with Saturday games during the 1950s before settling on a full slate of them in 1966. NFL games on Saturday have been a mainstay ever since.
The first NFL game on Saturday was in 1922
The first NFL game on Saturday was in 1922, when the Chicago Bears played the Chicago Cardinals. The game was moved to Saturday to avoid competing with baseball’s World Series. The NFL continued to play games on Saturdays through the 1950s. In 1959, the league began playing games on Sunday afternoons.
The NFL started scheduling regular season games on Saturday in 1933
The NFL started scheduling regular season games on Saturday in 1933 in order to increase viewership by making the games more accessible to people who were working on Friday nights. This tradition continued until Christmas Eve in 1971, when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in the longest NFL game ever played. After that game, the NFL decided to stop scheduling regular season games on Saturday so that players and fans could spend time with their families on Christmas.
Why NFL Games Are on Saturday
The NFL schedule releases the full regular season schedule in April, but the NFL always schedules the games for the Thanksgiving weekend in November. This is because the NFL wants to have as many games as possible on national television on Thanksgiving Day. And since most people have the day off from work on Thanksgiving, it is the perfect day for football.
To avoid competing with college football games
The National Football League (NFL) typically schedules its games on Sundays, with a handful of Saturday games sprinkled throughout the season. But why? Why not just play all of the games on Sundays, or Saturdays, or perhaps even Fridays?
The answer has to do with college football.
For decades, the NFL avoided schedule conflicts with college football games. College football is hugely popular, particularly in regions where there are major collegiate programs (like the SEC in the South). The NFL didn’t want to go head-to-head with those games and risk losing viewership.
In recent years, however, the NFL has been less concerned about competing with college football. The league has moved some of its games to Saturday evenings in an effort to draw more viewers. And it seems to be working; the NFL’s ratings have been rising in recent years, even as viewership for college football has declined.
To avoid competing with other professional sports leagues
The National Football League (NFL) is the most popular professional American football league in the United States. NFL games are broadcast on various television networks, including CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, and the NFL Network.
One of the most popular questions about the NFL is why its games are played on Saturday. The simple answer is that the NFL wants to avoid competing with other professional sports leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), which both have games on Sunday.
In addition, Saturday is traditionally a day when college football games are played, so there is already a built-in audience for the sport. By playing its games on Saturday, the NFL can also avoid going head-to-head with the highly popular National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football games that are broadcast on Saturday afternoon and evening.
How NFL Games on Saturday Affect Fans
Saturday is the best day of the week for many people. It’s a day to sleep in, relax, and do what you want. However, for NFL fans, Saturday is now a day to watch football. This has caused some mixed reactions from the football community. Some people love it and think it’s a great idea, while others think it’s ruined the sanctity of Saturday. Let’s take a look at how this change has affected NFL fans.
Some fans are happy with the change
When the NFL schedule was released in mid-April, one of the first things fans looked for was whether their team would be playing on Saturday.
The NFL moved some of its Sunday games to Saturday in order to avoid competing with the college football semifinals on New Year’s Day. The switch means that there will be three NFL games on Saturday, December 19th, with two more games on Saturday, December 26th.
The league has done this before, but usually only for Week 17, the final week of the regular season. This year, they’ve expanded it to include Week 16 as well.
Some fans are happy with the change. They think it’s a good way to avoid competition with college football and get more people to watch the NFL. Other fans are unhappy because they think it takes away from the tradition of playing on Sundays.
Either way, it looks like the NFL is here to stay on Saturdays – at least for now.
Some fans are not happy with the change
In 2006, the NFL moved one of its game days from Sunday to Saturday. This was done in order to make more games available to a wider audience, as Saturday is typically a day with fewer competing entertainment options. However, this change has not been well-received by all fans.
For many people, Saturday is a day for family and friends, not for sitting in front of a television. Additionally, some fans find it difficult to follow their team if they only play on Saturdays. This is because most people have work or other obligations during the week and cannot watch games during the week.
The NFL has said that it will continue to evaluate the Saturday games and make changes if necessary. In the meantime, fans who are not happy with the current schedule can always switch to another channel or find another way to spend their Saturdays.
How NFL Games on Saturday Affect Players
The NFL has been holding games on Saturday for a few years now, and it has had a mixed reaction from the players. Some love it because it gives them a chance to rest and heal during the week, while others hate it because it takes them away from their families. Let’s take a look at how NFL games on Saturday affect the players.
Some players are happy with the change
Some players are happy with the change, while others would prefer to play on Sunday like the rest of the league. But there is one thing that all the players can agree on: they would all like to have a bye week after playing a game on Saturday.
“It’s not ideal,” said Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who played in the team’s first Saturday game last year. “You’d rather be playing on Sunday like everyone else, but it is what it is. You just have to make sure you’re taking care of your body and resting up as much as possible.”
“It’s not ideal for anybody,” said Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who has played in three Saturday games in his career. “You’d rather be playing on Sunday like everyone else. But it is what it is, you just deal with it.”
Some players are not happy with the change
The National Football League’s (NFL) decision to move some of its games to Saturday afternoons during the 2017 season has not been popular with all of the players. While the NFL claims that the move will expose the sport to a larger audience, some players feel that it puts them at a disadvantage.
The NFL has said that it will airing games on Saturday afternoon in order to reach a larger audience. The league believes that by playing games on Saturday, more people will be able to watch them. However, some players are not happy with this decision. They feel that it puts them at a disadvantage because they will not have as much time to recover from the previous week’s game.
Many players believe that the NFL should be focusing on ways to improve the quality of its product, rather than expanding its reach. They think that the league should be working on things like increasing player safety and making sure that the officiating is up to par. While there is no doubt that reaching a larger audience is important, some players think that it should not be done at the expense of the quality of the game.