Why Does the NFL Not Play Matches on Fridays and Saturdays? (Detailed information!) 

Last Updated on October 14, 2023 by Alex PT

The NFL does not play matches on Fridays and Saturdays to protect high school and college football. In 1961, the Sports Broadcasting Act was passed, which exempted professional sports leagues from antitrust law but also prohibited them from broadcasting games on Fridays and Saturdays during the high school and college football seasons.

Why Not Friday & Saturday? 

Before this time, the NFL scheduled and played matches on Saturdays usually after the season was over for the NCAA regulars. When the NFL commences its playoffs, the NCAA still always game to be slated and played on Saturday and Sunday but up until the game progresses to the conference champion games just then are restrictions placed on the schedule of games for Fridays and Saturdays. Occasionally, games for Fridays are always rare but exceptions are made only when Christmas falls on a Friday mostly because Friday is dedicated to high school footballers. Others have argued that the reason why the NFL played most of its games on Sundays is because Fridays and Saturdays are clouded with ceaseless games by high school and college students. Traditionally, most high school play their football Friday after school (hence the name ‘Friday Night Lights)

This wasn’t just the sole reason why the NFL doesn’t schedule matches for Fridays and Saturdays but mainly because under the Sports Broadcasting Act 1961. The Act strictly banned the NFL from scheduling and playing matches on Fridays when high school football is and on Saturdays when college football season is being played. More so, the NCAA and Sports Broadcasting Act suggest that fans and sports lovers would be exhausted moving to and fro especially those that would want to buy tickets to watch the game.

The Sports Broadcasting Act still continues to consider fans who also play NFL game. In an exclusive with the spokesman of the Sports Broadcasting Act, they recount that “Some players that play at the NFL so have respective games slated for either Friday or Saturday depending on if he’s in high school or college”. The NFL has also introduced the Thursday night “feature game”. 

They hope this third Thursday night game will work but except fans, the team management, and players dislike this game for many reasons because it provides a short time to train and prepare for the game, and statistics have recorded that these matches have recorded high injury rate because of the higher steaks. The NFL has continued to select different days of the week with special games. The NFL introduced the Monday night game special, this game received a lot of accolades from players, fans, and sporting industries alike. 

Over time, the NFL got smarter and began featuring a Sunday night special which was a primetime game but this didn’t commence until the start of 2006. My Sports analysts have come out to commend the NFL for this incredible innovation and even questioned why they didn’t even come up with something such thing for a long time. Other analysts predict that the Sunday Night special might just become the next big thing in the sporting industry. The NFL Mondays game become a sensation and was highly profiled because no special game was televised on Mondays and it didn’t take long for it to become primetime and was nationally televised.

Why the NFL Doesn’t Play on Saturdays in October and November

The NFL does not play on Saturdays in October and November to protect high school and college football. This is because the NFL does not want to compete with high school and college football for viewership and revenue.

The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 was passed to protect high school and college football from the competition of professional sports leagues. The act exempts professional sports leagues from antitrust law, but it also prohibits them from broadcasting games on Fridays and Saturdays during the high school and college football seasons.

The exception to the Sports Broadcasting Act for high school and college football is still in place today, and the NFL continues to respect it. As a result, the NFL only plays games on Sundays and Mondays during the regular season.

There are a number of reasons why the NFL does not want to compete with high school and college football:

• High school and college football are popular sports that have a large following of fans.
• High school and college football are seen as important parts of American culture.
• High school and college football are important sources of revenue for high schools and colleges.

If the NFL played games on Saturdays in October and November, it would likely reduce viewership and revenue for high school and college football programs. This would have a negative impact on the sport and on the high schools and colleges that rely on it.

The NFL has a long history of respecting high school and college football. In the early days of the NFL, many of the league’s players were also college football players. The NFL was also founded in part to provide a place for college football players to continue playing after they graduate.

The NFL’s decision not to play on Saturdays in October and November is a way to show its respect for high school and college football. It is also a way to protect the sport from the competition of professional sports leagues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the NFL only play a game once a week?

NFL games are only scheduled for Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays as this allows players and team to adequately prepare for each game. This ample time ensures that no player is disadvantaged because of stress and fatigue. More so, teams that have games slated for Thursdays would have a short week without games.

Does NFL play any game on Friday night?

No, the NFL doesn’t slate any game for Fridays because most high school football games are usually played on Fridays.

Why are NFL games slated for Sundays?

In the early days of pro games and college football, games were slated and played frequently on Saturdays and it attracted a lot of popularity, but over the course of time, the new American Professional Football Association (which eventually became the NFL) began to schedule its games for Sundays.

Why is there a  game slated for Saturday at the NFL?

Some games are played on Saturdays especially those for the late season. The Sports Broadcasting Act banned the NFL and NCAA from scheduling games for the same time but an exception are made for games played during December and January especially after the NCAA has concluded the season.

Conclusion

As much as fans, terms, and players enjoy the glamour and paparazzi of each match, the NFL cannot be played as regularly as we all would want to. This is because of strict directives by the Sports Broadcasting Act that limit the number of games played. More so, special considerations are made to both high school and college footballers.

References:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12751/why-nfl-cant-play-friday-and-saturday-and-other-times-congress-interfered-football
https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-NFL-not-play-matches-on-Fridays-and-Saturdays