Christmas Day means many things to many people. For most Americans, it represents a day when they can take a load off, drink as much as they’d like, and enjoy sports.
As has been the case for a while, both the NFL and NBA came through with some premium matchups. However, the difference in the viewership numbers was astounding as the least-watched football game attracted significantly more viewers than the most-watched basketball game on the day.
The ‘Monday Night Football’ fixture pitting the Baltimore Ravens against the San Francisco 49ers brought 27.2 million viewers and was two million off the 29.2 million who tuned in for the game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The New York Giants – Philadelphia Eagles game brought in 29 million as well.
Still, the Ravens game brought in over five times as many eyes as the NBA game that had the highest ratings, with the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics game garnering 5 million.
This is an indicator of the disparity in popularity between the NFL and NBA. Roger Goodell still isn’t satisfied, though, and is still thinking up ways to put the National Football League on more screens around the world.
The NFL had one of its most highly-anticipated matchups on German soil this year, with the Chiefs taking on the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt on November 5. The addition of flag football to the Olympic games should also go some way toward making American football a fan favorite across the globe.
