• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

NFL’s Christmas Games Could Be Holding Up Schedule-Release Bonanza

  • An announcement on the 2024 slate was delayed a week from when it has typically been shared.
  • The likely reason: two Christmas contests, news of which broke in late March.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Each of the past three years, the NFL has announced its schedule on May 12, which this year falls on a Sunday; teams were broadly expecting the schedule to drop this week. But this year will be different.

An internal league memo Tuesday from NFL’s EVP of media distribution, Hans Schroeder, confirmed that schedules will come out May 15 at 8 p.m. ET, according to Sports Business Journal.

Schroeder didn’t give a reason for the delay, SBJ reported, but the most obvious explanation is that the league is adding two Christmas games (after long maintaining that it wouldn’t schedule Christmas games if the holiday fell on a Tuesday or Wednesday, as it does this year). Working out those details—including which teams will play, putting them in a doubleheader the Saturday beforehand; deciding the next week’s schedule; and sorting out which media partners will broadcast the games—likely required significant coordination on a short time crunch, considering news of the additions broke in late March.

Another explanation could be that the NFL wants to turn the schedule release into a much bigger, multiday affair, ProFootballTalk suggests. Imagine something akin to Selection Sunday, but carried out over several days, with each game time slot presented on a different day. The NFL is adept at creating tentpoles and generating interest throughout the offseason, as best exemplified by the draft, and this could be another iteration of that goal.

Teams already know their matchups, but they still don’t know the order in which they’ll play those games, on which dates, or at what times. In recent years, team social media accounts have gotten creative with their schedule release announcements, including by jokingly telling rival fans to get a job. Last year, teams created a viral release format wherein players’ young children (or people on Broadway, in Nashville) unveiled opponents by trying to guess team identities based on their logo.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

WNBA Hits Fourth-Highest ABC Viewership With Clark-Bueckers Duel

Clark missed the first Fever vs. Wings game with an injury.

Manfred on State of MLB: Pay Gap Is Growing, Media Future in..

Divisions between management and labor are again laid bare.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart Says Money Is Making Players Too Comfortable

The football coach is concerned about the revenue-sharing era.

Featured Today

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
Jul 14, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the 2025 Home Run Derby at Truist Park.

MLB Enters Crucial Second Half With Big Questions Looming

Media, labor, and Cal Raleigh are among the top second-half storylines.
The 153rd Open Championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland
July 14, 2025

Open Championship Considers Ireland: Portrush ‘Will Open’ Gates

Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland is hosting this week’s tournament.
July 14, 2025

MLBPA Chief Says League Missing Chance to Build On Success

Union leaders again call out perceived moves toward a salary cap.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 13, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Chelsea FC defender Reece James (24) lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates as U.S. president Donald Trump after the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium.
July 14, 2025

Four Things We Learned From the $1 Billion Club World Cup

FIFA now turns to U.S. World Cup next summer.
July 14, 2025

NFL’s New Headsets Are Designed to Survive Coach Tantrums

New NFL coaching headsets underwent “extensive drop testing.”
July 14, 2025

MLB’s HR Derby’s $1M Prize Tops Salaries for Three Rising Stars

Three derby competitors could more than double their 2025 salary.
July 13, 2025

Nationals Take HS Star Willits No. 1 in MLB Draft, Eye Potential..

Washington shocks observers by selecting a 17-year-old high schooler.