NBA
Look, I used to watch the NBA like I breathe oxygen. These days, not so much — the game has changed too much. But that doesn’t mean I won’t tune in to the NBA on Christmas Day.
After all, Christmas Day is the NBA’s day.
NBA games span from 11 a.m. CST to 12 a.m. CST, full of the game’s biggest and brightest stars. The first game is the Cleveland Cavaliers at the New York Knicks — two of the best guards in the league in Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson dueling at the most popular sports arena in the world, Madison Square Garden. You couldn’t ask for a better start.
Then there’s the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. A 7-foot-4 phenom in Victor Wembanyama going up against one of the best teams in modern NBA history led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
For those who don’t know, the Thunder are 24-2 as of Dec. 15.
Next is the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors. Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, 2025 first overall pick Cooper Flagg, and former Warrior Klay Thompson will try to contain Stephen Curry as much as possible.
On primetime is the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers. Kevin Durant, still balling at 37 years old, along with young stars Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson going up against the Lakers big three in LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. This might even be James’ last Christmas game.
Last, but not least, are the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets. Who doesn’t know who Anthony Edwards is? And on the other side is the best player over the last five years in Nikola Jokić.
More games, more stars, more highlights, more tension, more excitement to add to your Christmas Day.
NFL
The NBA has more games being broadcast this year but doesn’t equate to higher caliber of competition. The NFL simply put, will do more with less on Christmas Day.
For starters, there’s the sheer volume of viewership. According to a news release from NBA Communications on Dec. 26, 2024, the five Christmas Day games that year, even those featuring superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry, combined for an average of 5.25 million viewers per game.
The iconic matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors peaked with 8.32 million viewers. That’s certainly impressive, but guess how much attention Netflix’s 2024 debut for the NFL drew? About 24 million U.S. viewers per game.
I’ll admit that the teams playing in the NFL games were better last year than they are this year, with this year’s Cowboys and Commanders certainly a long way from last year’s Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans contests, but that doesn’t change the sheer volume of attention the NFL draws.
The talent on display in the NFL is also at least on par with the NBA. Sure, you’ll see plenty of James this season, as well as Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama, but trying to equate Jokić’s skills as a center to Patrick Mahomes as a quarterback or Jahmyr Gibbs as a running back is apples to oranges.
In today’s world, the NFL is clearly more embedded in our culture than the NBA. In fact, while the NBA netted around a record $11.3 billion in revenue last year, the NFL earned more than twice that figure at $23 billion.
The athletes are par for the course and the viewership has skyrocketed. Meanwhile the money continues to talk, and it says that the NFL reigns supreme.