The draft is done, rookie minicamps are wrapping up, and now we get to sit around and wonder when the NFL will drop the schedule on us. Because apparently even a list of 17 games and their dates needs to be turned into a marketing spectacle these days.
Remember when schedules just came out? No elaborate reveal videos. No insider leaks trickling out for weeks beforehand. Just here are your games, here are the dates, good luck. Now we get treated to a whole production because the league figured out they could squeeze another drop of content out of literally anything.
The Christmas Problem Nobody Asked For
Here’s what I’m hoping NOT to see when this thing finally drops in the middle of May. A Christmas Day game in Detroit.
Look, I get it. Primetime games are good for the brand. National TV exposure is great for a franchise that spent decades being ignored by everyone outside of Michigan. But Christmas Day football is a bridge too far, and yes, I will die on this hill.
We already own Thanksgiving. That’s our thing. Always has been, always should be. Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day is a Detroit tradition that predates most of the people complaining about it on social media.
But Christmas? That’s family time. That’s kids opening presents and grandparents falling asleep in recliners and trying to figure out what the hell you’re going to do with all these leftovers. The last thing anyone needs is the added stress of watching the Lions either crush dreams or create miracles on December 25th.
Let The Players Be Human
And before someone jumps in the comments about how much money these guys make, save it. Money doesn’t make missing Christmas morning with your kids any easier. Dan Campbell and his staff have families too. Brad Holmes has a family. These are human beings who happen to be really good at football.
The league has plenty of other ways to showcase teams without forcing them to play on Christmas. Give us a solid slate of primetime games throughout the season. Put us on Monday Night Football when it matters. Schedule a few Sunday Night games when the NFC North race is heating up.
Just let Christmas be Christmas. We’ve got Thanksgiving locked down, and that’s more than enough holiday football for one franchise.
Am I being a curmudgeon here or does Christmas Day football feel like the NFL pushing it too far? Drop your take in the comments and tell me what you actually want to see when this schedule hits.
You’re not being a curmudgeon at all. This team finally feels like it’s going somewhere and Dan Campbell actually cares about his players as people, not just assets. Christmas Day football just feels greedy when we’ve already got Thanksgiving locked down. Let’s show what we’re made of when it counts without forcing guys to miss their families.
I hear you, but I’m not convinced the NFL is even thinking about giving us a Christmas game. We’ve been waiting for national respect for so long that sometimes I think we see slights that aren’t really there. Let’s see what the schedule actually looks like before we get worked up about it.
Man, those were the days when you didn’t have to worry about prime time slots because nobody wanted to watch us anyway. Now with Campbell and Holmes in charge, this franchise actually means something, and I’d rather see that respected through smart scheduling than by turning Christmas into a circus. We earned Thanksgiving, that’s plenty.
This is the one thing I actually agree with the skeptics on – Christmas games feel like the league is just trying to squeeze every dollar out of everything. Give the guys some actual time with their families. There’s plenty of other ways to feature this team without going that far.