Dec 8, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Thursday Night Football broadcasters (from left) Tony Gonzalez, Charissa Thompson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth, and Richard Sherman on the Prime Video set at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams
(New York, NY) — The NFL owners passed a vote to allow Thursday Night Football flex scheduling.
Great news for fans. Horrible news for players.
The vote now allows the league to dictate all primetime games late in the season, effectively removing any poor matchup.
It yet again another money grab from the league after Amazon purchased the rights to Thursday Night Football for $1 billion last season. The games are limited only to Weeks 13-17, and the decision must be made no later than 28 days in advance of the game.
The change was approved by a vote of 24-8. The Giants, Jets, Packers, Bears, Raiders, Lions, Bengals and Steelers were the teams who voted against it, according to Adam Schefter.
Raiders owner Mark Davis blasted the new idea in an interview with USA Today:
“If you have a Raiders-Chargers game in Las Vegas scheduled for a Thursday, and all of the fans driving from Los Angeles – the Raiders fans and all three Chargers fans – buy their tickets and book their hotels, how in the hell do you schedule it and now say, ‘Sorry, it’s now on Sunday?’ How in the hell do you do that?”
Steelers outspoken cornerback Patrick Peterson also weighed in:
“It’s tough enough getting up for the first Thursday night game, better yet another one.”
Amazon’s first season with Thursday Night Football last year drew an average viewership of 9.6 million – a 46 percent decline from the previous season when games were broadcasted on Fox and NFL Network.
Remember, it’s all about the money.
