Jerry Jones: Thursday Double Headers

[redseat]

Jerry Jones says NFL thinking about Thursday doubleheaders

Earlier this week, 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin had this to say about the Thursday night games.

"I mean if [the NFL is] so concerned about player safety, then why do you have every team in the league playing on Thursday night when they just competed on a Sunday, knowing how difficult it is for guys to get back to being healthy after playing on Sunday?"

The easy answer: Expanding the brand, exposure and, ultimately, money.

And the league has no intentions of doing away with the Thursday night schedule. In fact, there was a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday that said the league was exploring the possibility of adding more Thursday night games, a claim the NFL promptly denied.

On Friday, Sports Business Daily reiterated the Journal report, this time citing Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as the source.

And once again, the league denied it.

 

[redseat]

I am all for double headers... Why not? I would think more money for the league as well, no?

 

[BobGnarly]

Kind of hard to believe anything Jerry Jones says after he said Romo's loss was the greatest QB performance he ever saw.

 

[Cobiemonster]

The TNF games are losing it's novelty - they made a huge mistake when they decided to have one every Thursday - it was really good when they didn't start the TNF games until the 2nd week or so of November

It would be dumb for the NFL to do doubleheaders on Thursday

 

[redseat]

Kind of hard to believe anything Jerry Jones says after he said Romo's loss was the greatest QB performance he ever saw.

This is true. But he is standing by "his guy" so I guess that's a good thing (for Romo only)

 

[NinerSickness]

What the players lose in a short week they make up for with a long week thereafter.

If players are injured just don't play them. Duh. If a player plays hurt or hides an injury that's his own choice.

 

[RobBase]

I love Thursday night games. But it doesn't cut into any other shows I watch so that's me. Thursdays used to be video games or read a book night until Goddell invented TNF.

 

[Cobiemonster]

What the players lose in a short week they make up for with a long week thereafter.

If players are injured just don't play them. Duh. If a player plays hurt or hides an injury that's his own choice.

There's a big difference between a Thursday and Sunday game - it's only a few days but a big difference - and there's only 16 games in a regular season, not 82 or 162, so you need your guys out there every game if you want a chance to win and make the playoffs when all is set and done

 

[bksballer89]

They do realize ppl do have jobs right? The only way this will work is if they do it the way ESPN does the MNF double header in week 1. If they try to do a 500 EST and 830 EST start the ratings for that first game will be awful.

Also I would love to see the avg injuries per thursday night game and compare it to avg injuries per game on Sundays and Mondays because I don't see that many players getting hurt on TNF

 

[fastforward]

The owners and players are obligated by the CBA to maximise future profits, (as if they didn't want to anyway). Playing games on Thursdays gives the league 5 games of International exposure a week. A 6th game should increase profits so it's something the league will explore in due course. The league probably wants a 20 game season with 3 bye-weeks per team. Rumours and denials are part of the process.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

The owners and players are obligated by the CBA to maximise future profits, (as if they didn't want to anyway). Playing games on Thursdays gives the league 5 games of International exposure a week. A 6th game should increase profits so it's something the league will explore in due course. The league probably wants a 20 game season with 3 bye-weeks per team. Rumours and denials are part of the process.

I never thought about the international angle but of course that makes total sense since the NFL sees an untapped market for revenue there. Given that you are from the UK fastforward, what's your take on the interest level there? I know the London games seem to have had a good response, but can you see American football taking off over there and being as popular as it is here in the US? I find it hard to believe. Not to mention, the sheer logistics and the huge time difference, especially for a west coast team. Plus, it would irk me as a fan, to ever having a championship game played over there...jmo.

Btw, how did you become a fan of football? Was it the lure of "the greatest show on turf"?

 

[fastforward]

I never thought about the international angle but of course that makes total sense since the NFL sees an untapped market for revenue there. Given that you are from the UK fastforward, what's your take on the interest level there? I know the London games seem to have had a good response, but can you see American football taking off over there and being as popular as it is here in the US? I find it hard to believe. Not to mention, the sheer logistics and the huge time difference, especially for a west coast team. Plus, it would irk me as a fan, to ever having a championship game played over there...jmo.

Btw, how did you become a fan of football? Was it the lure of "the greatest show on turf"?

The game has been shown here since the early 1980s, which was when I started following the sport and the Rams as my team. There is a big market for NFL regular season games here. We were told we'd get 2 games in 2010 and 3 games from 2011 onwards providing both games in 2010 sold. That was altered because of the CBA dispute and the potential lock-out. 3 games is what I believe the British market will support. The main tv channel for the NFL here is SKY which has 2 games on Sunday, the Thursday games, and all the playoffs. They are believed to be paying $60M per year for those rights. The Sunday Night game is on C4 and the Monday Night game is on Eurosport. I don't know what those contracts are worth. I don't know what the situation is elsewhere in Europe but I suspect the biggest market for the NFL will be Germany.

I don't see logistics as an insurmountable problem. Effectively it's a flight to New York and then another 7 hour flight. Teams playing in London don't play in the Monday Night game prior to traveling and they have their bye-weeks immediately afterwards to recuperate. London games start at the same time as the early Sunday games, (6pm London, 1pm New york, & 10am Oakland), to minimize time zone differences. There's no evidence to suggest that teams that play in London suffer afterwards for having played here. The game will never be as popular here as it is in the US. 'Soccer' will never be as popular in the US as it is here. As far as Championship games on foreign soil goes it's all down to money. If Tokyo put up enough cash the Super Bowl would be played there.

If there were 2 games each Thursday it would be possible to schedule it so that 1 team from each game would play in London on the following Sunday. It would allow each team an extra 2½ days for travel and acclimatisation. Just a thought. Some teams might prefer to keep it at 1 week as it currently is.

I don't believe a London-based franchise is likely in the foreseeable future. logistically it wouldn't be the huge issue that many Americans seem to be concerned with. (How many flights does a MLB team make each year?). There are far bigger legal and financial problems. I don't see the NFL putting a team in Europe without that franchise having priority over stadium use at the very least. That wouldn't be the case at any stadium I could think of. Building a new stadium would be hugely problematic. NFL by-laws require significant financial input from the local community. That would likely be illegal here. A significant number of NFL players would be allowed entry into Britain for 1 event but they would be denied residency for past legal problems, eg Michael Vick. There would be taxation, healthcare, and currency issues. There are signficant differences in alcohol/drugs/gun laws and the penalties for violations. In the EU we also have the Bosman ruling which prohibits any restriction for the free movement for European workers who are out of contract. That makes franchise tags and a Draft system illegal here. It doesn't apply to non-European citizens, but the laws could change. It's hard enough for MLB and the NHL to have teams in the US and Canada. A European franchise would be a step too far.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

The game has been shown here since the early 1980s, which was when I started following the sport and the Rams as my team. There is a big market for NFL regular season games here. We were told we'd get 2 games in 2010 and 3 games from 2011 onwards providing both games in 2010 sold. That was altered because of the CBA dispute and the potential lock-out. 3 games is what I believe the British market will support. The main tv channel for the NFL here is SKY which has 2 games on Sunday, the Thursday games, and all the playoffs. They are believed to be paying $60M per year for those rights. The Sunday Night game is on C4 and the Monday Night game is on Eurosport. I don't know what those contracts are worth. I don't know what the situation is elsewhere in Europe but I suspect the biggest market for the NFL will be Germany.

I don't see logistics as an insurmountable problem. Effectively it's a flight to New York and then another 7 hour flight. Teams playing in London don't play in the Monday Night game prior to traveling and they have their bye-weeks immediately afterwards to recuperate. London games start at the same time as the early Sunday games, (6pm London, 1pm New york, & 10am Oakland), to minimize time zone differences. There's no evidence to suggest that teams that play in London suffer afterwards for having played here. The game will never be as popular here as it is in the US. 'Soccer' will never be as popular in the US as it is here. As far as Championship games on foreign soil goes it's all down to money. If Tokyo put up enough cash the Super Bowl would be played there.

If there were 2 games each Thursday it would be possible to schedule it so that 1 team from each game would play in London on the following Sunday. It would allow each team an extra 2½ days for travel and acclimatisation. Just a thought. Some teams might prefer to keep it at 1 week as it currently is.

I don't believe a London-based franchise is likely in the foreseeable future. logistically it wouldn't be the huge issue that many Americans seem to be concerned with. (How many flights does a MLB team make each year?). There are far bigger legal and financial problems. I don't see the NFL putting a team in Europe without that franchise having priority over stadium use at the very least. That wouldn't be the case at any stadium I could think of. Building a new stadium would be hugely problematic. NFL by-laws require significant financial input from the local community. That would likely be illegal here. A significant number of NFL players would be allowed entry into Britain for 1 event but they would be denied residency for past legal problems, eg Michael Vick. There would be taxation, healthcare, and currency issues. There are signficant differences in alcohol/drugs/gun laws and the penalties for violations. In the EU we also have the Bosman ruling which prohibits any restriction for the free movement for European workers who are out of contract. That makes franchise tags and a Draft system illegal here. It doesn't apply to non-European citizens, but the laws could change. It's hard enough for MLB and the NHL to have teams in the US and Canada. A European franchise would be a step too far.

Excellent points fast, thanks so much for your thoughts. The residency, taxation, healthcare and currency issues are points that seem to be glossed over when the issue is discussed here by sports radio.

I just can't see a franchise working in London. Your points about access/building a stadium seem a big obstacle. My biggest concern would be attracting the appropriate talent to a team, based abroad. Feels like it would dilute the sport, outside of all the other issues.

2-3 games a year seems to work well, with all parties pleased and no over saturation. Of course, the NFL is a money machine and they will continue to push the envelope with new markets. Where there is $$$, there they are...

Never heard of the Bosman ruling, that is interesting but makes sense given how close in distance everyone is in Europe.

 

[Mondio]

I still don't even realize there's a game on Thursday till I hear about it on the radio on my way to work Friday morning. I will never be a fan of Thursday night football. Monday night has lost it's appeal lately too. On sunday i watch football, 3 games or more if I flip between a couple.

 

[BobGnarly]

If they managed to schedule better games, I wouldn't complain

 

[bksballer89]

If they managed to schedule better games, I wouldn't complain

So you're not looking forward to that Panthers/Bucs game this thursday?

In all seriousness why did they create a rule that everyteam must be in prime time at least once? Who wants to see the Jags or Bucs in a primetime game?

 

[JDM]

The game has been shown here since the early 1980s, which was when I started following the sport and the Rams as my team. There is a big market for NFL regular season games here. We were told we'd get 2 games in 2010 and 3 games from 2011 onwards providing both games in 2010 sold. That was altered because of the CBA dispute and the potential lock-out. 3 games is what I believe the British market will support. The main tv channel for the NFL here is SKY which has 2 games on Sunday, the Thursday games, and all the playoffs. They are believed to be paying $60M per year for those rights. The Sunday Night game is on C4 and the Monday Night game is on Eurosport. I don't know what those contracts are worth. I don't know what the situation is elsewhere in Europe but I suspect the biggest market for the NFL will be Germany.

I don't see logistics as an insurmountable problem. Effectively it's a flight to New York and then another 7 hour flight. Teams playing in London don't play in the Monday Night game prior to traveling and they have their bye-weeks immediately afterwards to recuperate. London games start at the same time as the early Sunday games, (6pm London, 1pm New york, & 10am Oakland), to minimize time zone differences. There's no evidence to suggest that teams that play in London suffer afterwards for having played here. The game will never be as popular here as it is in the US. 'Soccer' will never be as popular in the US as it is here. As far as Championship games on foreign soil goes it's all down to money. If Tokyo put up enough cash the Super Bowl would be played there.

If there were 2 games each Thursday it would be possible to schedule it so that 1 team from each game would play in London on the following Sunday. It would allow each team an extra 2½ days for travel and acclimatisation. Just a thought. Some teams might prefer to keep it at 1 week as it currently is.

I don't believe a London-based franchise is likely in the foreseeable future. logistically it wouldn't be the huge issue that many Americans seem to be concerned with. (How many flights does a MLB team make each year?). There are far bigger legal and financial problems. I don't see the NFL putting a team in Europe without that franchise having priority over stadium use at the very least. That wouldn't be the case at any stadium I could think of. Building a new stadium would be hugely problematic. NFL by-laws require significant financial input from the local community. That would likely be illegal here. A significant number of NFL players would be allowed entry into Britain for 1 event but they would be denied residency for past legal problems, eg Michael Vick. There would be taxation, healthcare, and currency issues. There are signficant differences in alcohol/drugs/gun laws and the penalties for violations. In the EU we also have the Bosman ruling which prohibits any restriction for the free movement for European workers who are out of contract. That makes franchise tags and a Draft system illegal here. It doesn't apply to non-European citizens, but the laws could change. It's hard enough for MLB and the NHL to have teams in the US and Canada. A European franchise would be a step too far.

I think the logistics are undoable as well. The home field advantage would be massive, and while road trips would be tougher, those would likely be mitigated by multiple game road trips. The London team would be at a serious advantage from a travel perspective.

 

[Midnightangel]

Point #1 - the ratings are there. People watch the games and that makes money. Admit it, there are games on Sunday that no one watches just because they get lost in the sauce. Take one of those same games and air on Thursday and now people not only watch but talk about it at the water cooler on Friday.

Point #2 - there is no evidence that Thursday night games cause more injuries.

Point #3 - (more of a theory since I can't prove it), if you gave the players that played on Thursday night more money, they'd suddenly be all for more games.

So when I hear players complain about TNF it's because they feel they're not getting their fair cut.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

Why not just add a bye week and if you play on thursday you do not have a game the prior sunday?

Also the game have lost their novelty because the TNG this year have not been key matchups.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Companies are always looking to grow revenue...the players are pretty adamant about not expanding to 18 games...another topic, but I agree with the players.

The NFL has toed the line with their network partners by airing live games...they got a foot in the door with about 6 games, now they're up to a full season...dbl header...idk, at some point I think you reach a point of depreciating returns and I think we're getting close to that now with the current televised game package...I know I don't watch all of the MNF/SNF/TNF as it is.