This is one of those times when the concept is great–until it affects you.
There is little question the first season of the NFL’s flexible-schedule policy has been a big plus for football fans watching at home.
Week after week, NBC has been able to air compelling games on Sunday night. On Nov. 19, for instance, the network was able to switch off a dud Redskins-Bucs game to a major upgrade: The Chargers and LaDainian Tomlinson facing the Broncos.
So it seems a bit hypocritical to be outraged at the NFL for moving Sunday’s Bears-Packers game from a noon kickoff to 7:15 p.m. And make no mistake: This is a bad deal if you were planning to go to the game, because this isn’t just another Sunday night.
What’s it going to be: a cold night at Soldier Field or those expensive New Year’s Eve plans you made months in advance? Also consider fans who take their kids to the game. They now may be sitting among rowdies who could be more lubricated than usual. He or she will learn some new words, that’s for sure.
Having said all that, I have been a big supporter of the flexible-schedule format. I suspect most of the ticket-holders who will be affected Sunday have enjoyed it too.
After years of seeing terrible December games on Sunday and Monday nights, it has been great to watch Sunday night games that matter down the stretch. You won’t hear many complaints from viewers in New York, Dallas, San Francisco and elsewhere about getting Bears-Packers in prime time.
With slim pickings elsewhere, NBC is thrilled to get Bears-Packers.
“The game is attractive for a number of reasons,” NBC Sports spokesman Brian Walker said.
“It is potentially the final game for Brett Favre, one of the great quarterbacks in the NFL’s history. It has potential playoff implications for the Packers, who could complete an improbable comeback, and it involves the team [tied for] the best record in the NFL tuning up for the playoffs against a fierce rival.”
The Steelers-Bengals game had been earmarked for NBC. But the Bengals lost control of their playoff fate by losing at Denver. So NBC didn’t want that game, which could be totally meaningless by Sunday night.
The Broncos, who need a victory over the 49ers to get into the playoffs, were off limits because they have maxed out their prime-time appearances.
Fox Sports complicated matters because it was able to protect a game. The network decided to keep Falcons-Eagles for its late-afternoon doubleheader slot.
That’s a questionable decision. The Falcons look dead, and the Eagles will play in the first round of the playoffs, win or lose.
Fox should have grabbed Bears-Packers. It could have playoff implications (if you can figure out the tiebreakers for the Packers), and there’s the never-ending Favre story line.
So NBC wins. Many Bears fans lose.
Don’t expect an apology from the NFL. Affected fans will get some compassion, but not an “I’m sorry.”
“We understand some fans might have plans, but our goal is to make the best game available to our fans across the country,” NFL spokesman Dan Masonson said. “A game had to be moved into that slot, and we thought this one was very attractive.”
The NFL also has an important fan in NBC. The network is paying the league $600 million per year for the Sunday night package, and for that kind of money, it wants quality games in return.
In the age of big television money, the ticket buyer often gets the raw end of the deal. College football games get moved from afternoon to night all the time for television, causing a major inconvenience to the people who purchase seats. This isn’t new.
The NFL is definitely trying to appease television. But keep in mind that we are part of television as viewers. The league has to keep us happy so we’ll continue to watch the games, thus justifying the hefty rights fees.
Ultimately, there is a price to be paid for the flexible schedule. And it will be paid by the fans who pay their way into Soldier Field on Sunday night.
As a football fan who has enjoyed seeing better games on Sunday nights this year, I feel bad for the ticket buyers who are affected by having the game time moved.
But don’t complain too much if you enjoyed watching Chargers-Broncos instead of Redskins-Bucs.
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esherman@tribune.com
