The Wednesday NFL kickoff

Chapter 1

Breaking a fourteen year habit

Chapter 2

The seventeen hour time jump

Chapter 3

The law protecting Friday nights

Chapter 4

Two teams two travel strategies

Chapter 5

The global gridiron expansion

Ch 3 · The law protecting Friday nights
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hank The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961

Sep 8

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Quiz

What level of football is legally protected on Friday nights by the 1961 Act?

Sep 8

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Quiz

Why was the NFL able to play a Friday game in Brazil in September 2024?

Sep 8

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Saving Friday Night
BETA

hank Shift kickoff times across the globe to discover why the NFL opened on a Wednesday.

Sep 8

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hank Protecting local Friday night lights

Sep 8

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Protecting local Friday night lights

hank Friday nights in autumn are legally reserved for community high school football.

Sep 8

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Quiz

What special legal status does the NFL lose if it violates the 1961 Act?

Sep 8

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Quiz

What would happen to local high school football games if the NFL scheduled Friday night games?

Sep 8

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hank Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961

Since Friday belongs to the high school teams, we kickoff on a Wednesday.

Sep 8

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hank The Labor Day weekend loophole

Sep 8

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The Labor Day weekend loophole

hank The NFL can only play Friday games during the very first weekend of September.

Sep 8

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Quiz

Which US law prevents the NFL from broadcasting games on Friday nights in autumn?

Sep 8

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Quiz

Who signed the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 into law?

Sep 8

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Fun Fact

Legal shield: The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 is one of the rare times the US government granted a sports league an antitrust exemption.

Sep 8

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hank Why Saturday was also off limits

Sep 8

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Quiz

Which day of the week is legally protected for college football under the 1961 Act?

Sep 8

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Quiz

During which months does the Friday and Saturday broadcast ban apply to the NFL?

Sep 8

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Glossary
sports broadcasting act (noun)
A United States federal law that grants professional sports leagues an exemption from antitrust laws to pool and sell their broadcasting rights. This 1961 statute restricts the NFL from broadcasting games on Fridays to protect high school football.

Sep 8

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Gossip

Should the NFL play on Friday nights?

Sep 8