If there’s one thing that professional sports leagues and television networks are generally very good at, it’s never passing up a ratings opportunity.
This is why it is curious that on Tuesday December 24 – also known as Christmas Eve – there is literally no decent sporting events on the calendar (apologies to the illustrious Hawai’i Bowl).
How can this be possible at this time of maximizing the audience? We have a day on the calendar where many people are not at work or school, but there isn’t a single NFL, NBA or NHL game to watch? Even college basketball, with its approximately 700 Division I men’s and women’s teams, has not decided to schedule games today? What 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 p.m. ET on ESPN?
What a huge missed opportunity for everyone involved.
Sure, the NBA has ten of its best teams competing on Christmas Day, but is there a reason the other 20 teams can’t play on Christmas Eve? The NHL had a full slate of games on the 23rd – wouldn’t they have loved to take advantage of a completely empty sports calendar and play a few high-profile games? They could surely benefit from a grade boost down 28% so far in the year. College hoops — which is synonymous with early-season tournaments over the holidays — didn’t even want to play ball?
Not to mention the multitude of college football games that could have filled the schedule, especially after the expanded College Football Playoff crowded out the other days of the bowl schedule. Would people prefer that the First Responder Bowl (North Texas-Texas State) be played on January 3, after the playoff quarterfinals have already been played? How about the Bahamas Bowl (Liberty-Buffalo) on January 4? Wouldn’t Christmas Eve be a better day for them? Who’s going to watch these games after a full series of College Football Playoff contests on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day?
But instead of all of the above happening, we find ourselves stuck with a miserable college football game. And it plays out during prime time, when many people have family or church commitments on Christmas Eve.
This is a complete and utter failure on the part of all leagues and networks involved.