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While we all want sports back in our lives as soon as possible, none of us have a clue if or when that’s going to happen this year. Today, just like the day before that, and the day before that the uncertainties continue to far outweigh the certainties when it comes to sports hitting the play button again.
One of the most discussed topics in the sports world since The Big Cancel took over our lives has been the start of football season and when that may be. For the time being, the college football season is set to begin on August 29 while the NFL is expected to release its schedule no later than May 9.
According to The New York Post, the 2020 NFL schedule could have some flexibility in place to actually move games to Saturdays throughout the year if the NCAA elects to postpone its entire season.
If college suspends play in the fall, there may be an open path for the NFL to figure out Saturdays. For example, if the NFL plays its season without fans in the stadiums, then the idea of inconveniencing attendees by shifting games from Sunday to Saturday would be a non-factor.
The rest between games for players would only be shifted by one day, though,the league would have to make sure it doesn’t have issues with the Thursday and Monday short weeks.
The biggest piece to this hypothetical puzzle is the broadcast partners, which the report states “that is the NFL executives’ first concern.”
The NFL already schedules Saturday games after the college football regular season ends in December and if there are no college football games at all it wouldn’t appear to be a problem, at least on paper, to slide some games around to Saturdays here and there.
Theoretically, the NFL could have its pick and even have 1 PM, 4:30 PM, and 8 PM games on Saturday or elect to just have one game on Saturday, the whole scenario is still very much up in the air.
There is this little thing called the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 that could come into play with all of this, but then again maybe not if the entire college football season is canceled.
Strange times indeed.