Well, they did it.
The next time somebody in the front office of the National Football League says their primary concern is safety of the players, and maybe the No. 2 priority is the "fan experience," just point them to this week, and scoff. Loudly.
The owners of NFL teams--or most of them--approved a new rule to "flex" Thursday night football games late in the season. That means the league will be able to move dud games back to Sunday, and move better games into the Thursday prime-time spot. With four weeks' notice.
Any game during the weeks of 13-17 could be moved.
Fans won't know until the season nears completion; the 2-11 teams can safely be buried on Sunday afternoons, and two 12-1 teams can be moved to the weeknight.
Sounds brilliant. If your motive is money above all.
But what about the fans?
If you bought tickets to see a game in early December, maybe multiple tickets for the family, and if the game is away--so you have to buy plane tickets and hotel rooms in advance--get ready to have to make a lot of changes. Let's hope the airlines don't charge a fee to change dates. Actually, let's hope the airlines can even get you there on a Thursday. And see if your boss will allow you time off during the week when you expected your game to be safely on a Sunday. ...
But at least the league and the streaming services will make more money. That's the priority, right?