OT - Scheduling of Conference Championships and the Super Bowl

Submitted by Cold War on

How would your ideal schedule look? I know the current schedule accomodates TV, but we can hope.

Eliminating the two week wait for the Sper Bowl is popular. I agree with that.

But I also dislike Sunday evenings and football.  I'd like  to see a Saturday and a Sunday conference championship, each starting at maybe  3:30. If they're both on Sunday, a 1:00 and a 4:00 would be better than what we've got.

The Super Bowl Saturday is an idea I'm big on. Have it  in the evening, do it on a Saturday. Much better party time. If it's Sunday, get an earlier start.

 

 

BlackOps2ForLife

January 19th, 2014 at 2:08 PM ^

The Super Bowl, along with the national championship, should be on Saturday nights. At least the Super Bowl starts at 6:30 and is over by 10:00 or 10:30, but the national title is over after midnight on a work night, which is asinine.

BlackOps2ForLife

January 19th, 2014 at 4:41 PM ^

This year I fell asleep in the third quarter and woke just as FSU scored the go ahead TD. It is definitely on too late. I understand that prime time TV is during the week, but it is the national title game. If they play it on a Saturday night, I can guarantee the ratings will be the same or at least near. I would love to be able to have a party and drink beer during the game, but I just don't do that on work nights.

MichiganExile

January 19th, 2014 at 2:09 PM ^

I have no data to back this up, but I bet that part of the reason these games are played on Sundays is because the networks carrying them make more money by having them those days. It seems to me that FOX and CBS tirelessly promote their shows following Sunday football games. Without the buil-in audience from people already sitting on the couch watching football there may be a dramatic drop-off in viewers of Sunday evening/night programming. 

Put it this way, when people are done watching college football on Saturday they can go out and have a good time in the evening with friends because they don't have to work the next day. When people are done watching football on Sunday they stay home and relax because the work week begins the next morning. 

I do agree that the Superbowl should be on Saturday though.

LSAClassOf2000

January 19th, 2014 at 2:26 PM ^

Every year, the NFL gets asked this and they do reply actually. A couple years ago, in a lengthy SI article as I recall, they cited a study about the average length of stay at Super Bowl sites, which came out to be a shade over 3 days. They also noted that a majority of people arrive on Friday, so one of their counters in this case is a decrease in revenue for the host community if the game were on a Saturday. Most years, they also mention that the Owners' Party and several other events are established Saturday traditions on Super Bowl weekend. I also remember when the Facebook petition went around in 2011, the NFL did address the TV ratings, but only insofar as they say that the NFL plays almost 90% of its games on Sunday and that's the expectation of their viewership, in their opinion. 

 

samsoccer7

January 19th, 2014 at 2:18 PM ^

I also can't understand why these games are not on Saturday night. Also, if Saturday night wasn't a big draw, why are the final four games that night? Doesn't make sense. The super bowl is appointment TV. Whenever it is people will watch. Make it Saturday night!

Felix.M.Blue

January 19th, 2014 at 2:24 PM ^

I'm fine with the schedules except the NFL should have kept their nose out of Thursday football with the exception of Thanksgiving.

They should do away with the Pro-Bowl.

They should destroy any and all pre-game / halftime concerts. I hate every single one of them with a passion.

schreibee

January 19th, 2014 at 3:42 PM ^

1) how much do you fools drink, to warrant an entire thread about moving the SB to Saturday, fergodsakes?!

2) Even West Coast viewers would be just fine with moving these start times up these start times! It's the networks that want all this on in "prime time"

maracle

January 19th, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^

I think it's easier for people to watch both games if they're on the same day. I suspect a lot of people would make plans if there was a game both days...

ZB75

January 19th, 2014 at 7:23 PM ^

They used to be  at 1 and 4.  just in the last 5 ot 6 years they moved to a 3 and 6:30 game times.  I know because as a Broncos fan, I remember they won at Pittsburgh to get to SuperBowl 32 in a 1:00 game and then played 4:00 the next year in Denver.

JayMo4

January 20th, 2014 at 8:55 AM ^

The Super Bowl on Sunday is fine, so long as they don't bump it back to 8 or 9PM like the NCAA, NBA, etc.  It seems like most sports are out to screw anyone that lives in the Eastern time zone and has to work day shift.  Once I had to start getting up at 4:30 every day, I basically stopped watching the NBA almost entirely.  There was a time where I was almost guaranteed to watch two or three games a week.  Granted, that was also before I had kids....

 

I have never understood why the college football title game was on a weeknight at 8:30 or 9PM.  Not only is it once again unfair to working people on the east coast, but it's inconsistent with college football's normal Saturday schedule.  All year long, NCAA games are played primarily on Saturday.  Why in the world wouldn't their championship game be played on a Saturday night?  College football is my favorite sport, and I rarely watch their most important game because it's just not worth going into work on three or four hours of sleep.  By comparison, I'm a casual NFL fan.  But I haven't missed a Super Bowl since I was in elementary school because it's on at a reasonable time.

 

All of this would make a little more sense if the national population was balanced a lot more toward the western half of the country.  But of course, the opposite is true.  So it seems to me like most sports are alienating a whole lot of fans.

liquidroad

January 20th, 2014 at 7:53 PM ^

Are you men all kidding me with this? You really can't suck it up 2-5 times a year to watch sports an hour past your precious bed time? You know all the dates of the NCAA football and basketball championship games, the NFC/AFC championship games and the Super Bowl, you really can't just sleep an hour or two less a night those nights and drink more coffee in the morning? I understand if your wife is pregnant or if there are other extreme circumstances, but aren't you men? I am 33 and I know that I might be a little tired after staying up late to watch a game but you don't think Florida st/auburn or Kansas/Memphis are worth it? That is not a true sports fan. A true sports fan conditions themselves for games like that. There is a reason that Don Draper and Walter White are popular; they are MEN that do what they want on their terms, not some pansy ass that complains about staying up one more hour a few nights a year. Suck it up or don't call yourself a real sports fan. And if your bosses schedule some major assignment the day after a major sporting event then a revolution is necessary!