With May 9 the tentative date the NFL plans to unveil its 2020 schedule, it is exploring a radical concept — playing games on Saturdays throughout the fall.
The league has discussed the prospect of creating a flexible schedule that would allow games to be moved to Saturdays, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports. This would only go into effect if the COVID-19 pandemic prompts the NCAA to postpone or cancel the college football season.
While the NFL still has significant hurdles to clear before it can be known its season will commence, college football has more issues to navigate. If students do not return to campuses in the fall, that would open up the NFL to potentially move certain games to Saturdays. The league has broached this subject with its broadcast partners, per Marchand.
The Thursday-Sunday-Monday setup the NFL has used for years will still be in effect, but Marchand adds multiple games could be moved from Sunday to Saturday. This would, through unfortunate circumstances, create new nationally televised slots for the NFL. The league already plays certain games on Saturdays — but only after college football’s regular season concludes.
Such rescheduling would seemingly provide a solution to the afternoon imbalance issue the NFL has dealt with for decades, with the league annually flooding the noon CT time slot with games and sometimes leaving as few as two for the late-afternoon window. But a missed season would double as a financial catastrophe for the NCAA. It will surely be months before the organization commits to shutting down college football in 2020.
The NFL has discussed contingency plans as well, with one being a mid-October start for a season that runs through late February. As of now, the plan remains to start on time. But when the league releases its 101st schedule, it may well designate some games as candidates to move to Saturdays.
this would be a great idea id they are willing to move the Thursday and Monday games to Saturday. assuming you can air about 3 timeslots of games a day that’s a net gain in nationally televised games. by eliminating Monday and Thursday you satisfy the players association as well. maybe if you have sponsorship issues you just roll Thursday into Saturday and keep Monday.
Thursday games straight up shouldn’t exist. It’s an unnecessary injury risk in which both teams show up lethargic half the time anyway
That said, no way in this or any other lifetime they do away with MNF.
That’s the common mis-perception, but the numbers show there are no additional injuries or “sloppy play” on Thusday nights.
It’s a myth that has simply been passed around as truth.
Technically there isn’t a higher rate of injury, but this can be attributed to faulty medical reporting and a tendency for coaches to hold back their best players. Regardless, it’s still more dangerous to only play on three days’ rest than six. You simply give your muscles less time to recover. Maybe the teams participating in each TNF matchup should be coming off a bye the previous week…
Well that’s not happening if there is money to be made by Goodell by playing Thursday’s. They would only move some of the Sunday’s to Saturday. I’m not a fan of the Thursday game either. I don’t even like Sunday night, as I’ve usually had enough after watching all day. I look more forward to the Monday night game. I would actually rather see two Monday night games every week.
Having a second Monday night game would be impractical, as it wouldn’t air until about ten at the earliest and east coast viewers would be screwed because of school/work schedules. You’re probably right about the financial incentive argument though
Just how stupid is Goodell and his pals anyway? If Covid is still serious enough to shut down the college game shouldn’t that cause a light bulb to flicker in their tiny brains?
My thoughts exactly. Seems like a toxic, predatory and downright dangerous thought process.
Goodell must think he can call Jeff Probst, get an immunity idol and live happily ever after.
Unless you take the full thought process to fruition, but then again, this is an internet comments section.
It’s all about students on campus. There are many campuses that are prematurely canceling fall classes because they can get along with e-learning just fine. But, in case you weren’t aware, football can’t be played remotely.
So even if they could conceivably play football (which they almost certainly will be able to), closed campuses mean no games on campus.
So maybe there’s all kinds of brain flickers that you haven’t even considered.
@renbutler. Your arguments continue to be nonsense. E-learning works just fine? That one had me rolling on the floor in laughter. Education in America is a joke with test scores showing a literacy rate that is nothing short of embarrassing. Check the following source and you’ll find the United States ranked #125
link to worldatlas.com
I didn’t say “e-learning works just fine.” I said that colleges are canceling in person classes because they can get along fine with e-learning. I don’t buy into that reasoning, but they’re using it.
You really need to read better if you’re going to be mocking what you read.
Also, citing American educational rankings has nothing to do with the topic at hand — e-learning. I actually agree that the US education system is broken, and I think your reply is but one example.
Really, you need to come better prepared to these discussions.
The NFL is a monster who wants to control and destroy all other sports. Monday Night Football? Sunday’s only? No. Tuesday Night Football. Wednesday. Football games every day during prime time. 2 games every day. One starts at 4 the other at 7. We will just increase roster size to account for injuries. College style. 80 man rosters. 18 games?? 20 game schedule. No exhibition games. Go straight from July camp to August games.
Basketball on Christmas? We don’t care. Baseball playoffs or World Series. We don’t care. We don’t work with the other sports to not mess with their ratings. You call us for permission when to play your games. The Draft is once again 15 rounds. 1 round broadcast per day for 15 days in April.
Extra playoff teams. So the playoffs last almost 2 months and super bowl in March.
You left out game officials making a greater effort to manipulate matches while Goodell provides the public with more frequent proclamations about how he is upholding the “integrity of the game”.
Exaggerate much? Wow.
Baseball plays every damn day. NBA almost every day. The NFL is simply looking at 4 days out of 7.
You can live with that, and turn if off if you don’t like it.
Don’t do sarcasm reading comprehension much?
I will not turn it off. I thought this was America. Turning off your TV is un American. Complaining about what your watching and still refusing to change the channel or turning it off is America. Now Get Off My Lawn.