NFL Warned About Significant Change To Thanksgiving Schedule

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

The NFL may soon add another game to its Thanksgiving schedule. The idea is already creating debate among fans and analysts.

For many years, Thanksgiving football followed a simple tradition. The Detroit Lions hosted one game, and the Dallas Cowboys hosted another. These games became a long-time holiday tradition for football fans.

Later, the NFL added a primetime game on Thanksgiving night. In recent years, the league also introduced a game on the day after the holiday, known as the Black Friday game.

Now the league is thinking about another change. Officials are considering adding a game the night before Thanksgiving.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter shared the update. He said the league could schedule a Wednesday game during Thanksgiving week as soon as this season.

“NFL now is exploring playing a game on Thanksgiving Eve as early as this season,” Schefter said. “This year this would be Wednesday, Nov. 25.”

If the plan moves forward, the league would add a game the night before the usual Thanksgiving game, making the holiday week even bigger for football fans.

NFL Fans And Experts Question League Expansion

The proposal resulted in concern among fans and analysts. Many people already worry about the growing number of weekday games.

The league now runs games on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday during the season. It also schedules games on Saturday late in the year. Holiday games now include Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Black Friday.

Some critics believe the league pushes too far.

Former NFL team doctor David Chao spoke about the trend. He believes the league focuses heavily on revenue as it adds more games to the calendar.

“The NFL’s been doing this for a while,” Chao said. “They do the Thursday season kickoff game and then more Thursdays during the season. They snuck in a Friday on everybody. They snuck in games on Christmas. Obviously, when the college football season is over, they play on a Saturday.”

Chao said he would not feel surprised if the league expanded even further.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they went to Friday-Saturday-Sunday after the high school and college football season. And it’s all about revenue,” he said.

Chao also discussed the NFL’s possible argument for the Wednesday idea. He said officials could frame the move as a health benefit for players.

“The Wednesday game? They’re going to sell it based on safety,” Chao said. “They’ll say, ‘You don’t like Thursday games? … We’ll slide in Wednesday and you don’t have to play on four days rest. You’ll have (10-11) days before and (11) days after.’”

Still, many fans urge the league to slow down. They enjoy holiday football, but some fear the schedule already feels crowded. The NFL now faces a simple question.

How much football counts as too much?