NBA superstar LeBron James recently sent a message to the NFL following a spat between the two professional sports leagues regarding their conflicting schedules, with both football and basketball games being played on Christmas. Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, Lebron informed the NFL that the holiday belonged to the NBA.
“I love the NFL. I love the NFL. But Christmas is our day,” LeBron asserted. Last year featured three games on Christmas Day where two games were scheduled on the holiday this year. Similarly, several regular season games were scheduled on Christmas Day in 2022. However, NFL officials had noted last year that they wouldn’t schedule any games on Christmas if they fell outside of a normally scheduled day.
“We’ve seen the opportunity with Thanksgiving and some of the audience that we’ve continued to build there,” NFL executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder explained in an interview with the The Wall Street Journal. “We think there’s an opportunity when the calendar allows it on Christmas now, too, when we know our fans are going to be together.” However, the league quickly changed its opinion as there was clear demand for Christmas games.
The American Tribune recently reported on criticism from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes who pushed back on Christmas Day games, citing their crowded schedule. “It’s not a good feeling. You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time. It’s not great for your body. But, at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession.” However, he added, “I’m excited to play on Christmas to hopefully get back from what we did last year.”
“You have to come to work and do it,” he said speaking about persevering in the demanding sport. “All you can do is focus on the game. The practice you have that day. I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch. That’s tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and prepare.”
Mahomes also praised the coaching staff for ensuring the players are always prepared to hit the field. “And the coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field. We practice as hard as anybody, but they know how to dial it back when needed.” Kansas City head coach Andy Reid, commented, “That’s a unique situation. You just have to manage it. It is what it is. You make the best of it.”
The Tribune also reported on commentary from Christians who argued sports games should not be the emphasis of Christmas Day. The lead pastor at Ironwood Church in Gilbert, Arizona, Seth Troutt, took to X, writing, “I need to be very clear about something: the NFL should not be playing games on Christmas Day.” Plenty of other echoed this sentiment in the comments section. “As much as I love sports, I find it pretty abhorrent that the NFL plays on Christmas day. Christmas day is about focusing about Family and Jesus’ birth! The Westernized Christmas is now nothing more than a big money-making scheme. Pretty sad honestly,” another person said.
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