The Big Lead

The NFL is making Adam Silver's life hell after stealing Christmas from the NBA

Basketball just can't seem to catch a break as the NFL continues to reach new heights.

By Matt Reed

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) and tight end Travis Kelce (right) open their Netflix Christmas GameDay cake after the Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) and tight end Travis Kelce (right) open their Netflix Christmas GameDay cake after the Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Everyone know the NFL is king of the American sports landscape, except for maybe the NBA. However, the dynamic between the United States' top-viewed leagues has changed drastically in recent years as football gets bigger and cotinues to take away more attention from pro basketball.

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Let's face it, the NBA has a million challenges right now as they look to regain the attention the league used to receive during the Michael Jordan, Larry Bird or Magic Johnson eras, or even the early days of LeBron James entering the league.

What's transpired over the years though has been a drastic shift in fans' attention, and much of it has gone over to the NFL, which is at an all-time high in viewership and growing storylines each season.

That's why it's not shocking that the NFL wants to capitalize further on its insane growth by tapping into one of the few days that the NBA has reigned supreme for decades; Christmas Day.

Last year, Roger Goodell put two games on Christmas Day, including Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens defeating the Houston Texans.

fans watch with a Merry Christmas sign during a game between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars
Dec 17, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; fans watch with a Merry Christmas sign during a game between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars in the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

In 2025, the NFL wants to go even bigger with a Christmas Day triple-header of matchups on Netflix, which is a clear warning shot to Adam Silver and NBA executives. The only problem for the NBA is that with its dwindling regular season, there's probably not much the league can do to stop their football counterparts from stealing their Christmas tradition away.

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