Defending the NFL's decision to add a Thanksgiving Eve game to the schedule

The NFL is looking to add another helping of football to our Thanksgiving plates. According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the league could schedule a Thanksgiving Eve contest as soon as this upcoming season (Wednesday, Nov. 25). That would mean fans get a gridiron appetizer the day before the traditional three Thanksgiving Day games. It would also guarantee 10 consecutive days of NFL or college football being played.

The argument could be made that the additional game will overstuff fans with football, especially at a time when family and friends are gathered to catch up and celebrate the holiday. But that argument underestimates the American appetite for football.

NFL's Thanksgiving Eve appetizer is a genius capitalization on holiday football trend

Last season, the NFL debuted its Christmas Day triple-header on Netflix which garnered an average of 22.9 million viewers, vastly outpacing NBA viewership which previously dominated the holiday.

The games were an addition to the league's holiday slate that already included the normal Thanksgiving Day triple-header and a Black Friday contest on Amazon Prime. Last year's Dallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Thanksgiving drew 57.23 million pairs of eyeballs, the most-watched regular season game in league history.

That was direct proof there's demand for NFL football thoughout the holiday season. Think about it, the day before Thanksgiving is coloquially known as a time when folks who return to their hometowns go out to bars to reconnect with old friends.

Bars typically show sports on their televisions and with a big NFL contest on tap, that'll drive business even more. There's a clearly economical benefit across the board with this decision.

Now, it won't come without some logistical issues to sort out. The number of teams eligible for the mid-week game would be very limited considering you cannot expect a team to play a Wednesday game after just two days rest. The Cowboys and Detroit Lions already have permanent claim on that Thursday, so they are out of the question too. The league would have to choose from teams that were on bye the previous week in order to ensure fair rest.

But players that do participate would be able to fully enjoy the holiday compared to those that have to play on Thanksgiving or on that Sunday.

Regardless of whether the league implements this new plan or not, the appetite for more football on holidays is clearly present and the NFL has an opportunity to seize upon it.

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