If there’s one thing professional sports leagues and television networks are typically pretty good at, it’s never letting a viewership opportunity go to waste.
That’s why it’s curious that on Tuesday, December 24th — also known as Christmas Eve — there are quite literally no decent sporting events on the calendar (apologies to the illustrious Hawai’i Bowl).
How can this be possible in today’s day and age of viewership maximization? We have a day on the calendar when many people are off of work or school, yet there’s not a single NFL, NBA, or NHL game to watch? Not even college basketball, with its 700 or so men’s and women’s Division I teams, decided to schedule any games today? All we’re left with is the 6-6 University of South Florida Bulls taking on the 7-5 San Jose Spartans in the Hawai’i Bowl at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN?
What a huge missed opportunity this is for everyone involved.
Sure, the NBA has ten of their best teams competing on Christmas Day, but is there any reason the 20 other teams can’t play on Christmas Eve? The NHL had a full slate of games on the 23rd — would they not have liked to take advantage of a completely empty sports calendar and play a few high-profile games? They could surely use a ratings boost being down 28% so far on the year. College hoops — which is synonymous with playing early season tournaments during the holidays — didn’t even want to play ball?
This is not to mention the host of college football bowl games that could’ve filled out the schedule, especially after the expanded College Football Playoff has crowded out other days on the bowl calendar. Would people rather have the First Responder Bowl (North Texas-Texas State) played on January 3rd, after the quarterfinals of the playoff has already been played? How about the Bahamas Bowl (Liberty-Buffalo) on January 4th? Wouldn’t Christmas Eve be a better day for those? Who is going to watch those games after a full slate of College Football Playoff competition on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day?
But instead of any of the above happening, we’re stuck with one measly college football game. And it’s played in primetime, when many people have familial or religious commitments on Christmas Eve.
This is an absolute, unmitigated, botch by all the leagues and networks involved.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.