Throughout the 2010s NBA has ruled the Christmas Day sports scene. Every year, Christmas was filled with marquee matchups featuring the biggest stars like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. These world-class players obviously draw a massive audience on Christmas each and every year. Previously, Christmas Day was coined as “The NBA’s Day”; this was in response to the NFL’s growing Christmas popularity. Implementing powerhouse football matchups on Christmas Day was definitely a calculated move by the NFL. Traditionally, the fall and winter are thought to be football time all except for Christmas Day, which was a day for NBA fandom to thrive. The NFL decided to take action, and they scheduled 3 games to headline Christmas Day. Games like the Washington Commanders vs. the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions, and lastly the Kansas City Chiefs host the Denver Broncos. These matchups feature superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott but also showcase up-and-coming second-year quarterbacks like Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and J.J. McCarthy. The games are designed to draw a big audience. Between the division rivalry matchups and the exciting players on display, this year’s NFL Christmas Day schedule is destined to put football back in the running for the owner of Christmas Day sports. The NBA isn’t just letting the NFL take over; they are combating by scheduling top-tier matchups of their own. They scheduled many games that include teams like the Thunder, the Timberwolves, and the Nuggets. All of these teams have superstar players with League MVP aspirations like last year’s winner Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Anthony Edwards. They play on lineups built to make playoff runs and win tough games. The NBA took this into account when scheduling in hopes of countering the NFL’s hard-hitting lineup of games. As Christmas approaches, we will see which sport prevails as the sport of Christmas Day!
