NFL team used to doing almost everything possible to avoid Christmas.
Now, the league is scheduling games on Wednesdays to fit into the holiday season.
Christmas was known as the unofficial start of the NBA season – the season actually starts two months earlier – with old matchups.
Wednesday there were five regular NBA games throughout the day, while two NFL games started.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives hard against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter at Chase Center. (Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images)
After a great Lakers-Warriors Christmas night, LeBron James he has made a solid protest as the NBA's standards are declining and the NFL is as popular as ever.
“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day,” he said.
The numbers mean something different.
It should be noted that the NBA had a good day by its standards, averaging 5.2 million viewers on Wednesday, which is the most on a holiday in five years.
James' game against Stephen Curry and the Warriors averaged 7.7 million viewers, peaking at 8.3 million. The 10:30 pm ET game between the Suns and Nuggets was also the biggest window of late with 3.8 million viewers.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dunks against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)
But the NFL still dominated, averaging 24.2 million viewers with the Chiefs-Steelers and Texans-Ravens games even though both games were blasted on Netflix.
James was pressed early on social media.
NFL games will be played on five separate days in Week 17 when all is said and done. Thursday, Sunday and Monday are the usual game days, with Saturday games being played later in the season.
Christmas falls on a Thursday next year, so the NFL will likely carry the same approach to its Thanksgiving tripleheader.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gestures to a teammate during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images)
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The NFL's Christmas outlook didn't match the Thanksgiving numbers, while the NBA's ratings improved after a decline at the start of the season.
But the NFL is clearly king, no matter what day it is.
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