This is just one of those stories that strikes me as something that is wrong with where our country is heading, and the priorities we place on family and traditions.
On Tuesday it was announced that the Green Bay Packers will be the first team in NFL history to play on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
I am not sure what type of upbringing the folks who made the decision to play a major football game on Christmas might have had, but it surely was not the type I had. And I strongly suspect not the type of background that many of my readers experienced.
Christmas is a time of family, friends, home, church, and a dinner around the table with those you care about.
It should not be a time when we force janitors, TV technicians, food sellers, and ticket booth staff, highway patrolmen, and countless others to forgo their family time so major league football can squeeze in a game.
I have long thought that it was sad when we shafted Thanksgiving with open stores for the start of Christmas shopping. Too few even blink over the reason we have a national day of thanks anymore. If that does not strike you as sad then please stop reading now, as you will not understand what I am saying anyway.
With the news yesterday the NFL cheapened Christmas and undermined an international day of religion so the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears can play football!
Guzzling beer and hurling curses at opposing teams might be the way some act almost every other football weekend, but is this truly something anyone should want to promote on Christmas Day?! How many bars across the state will be open on Christmas night, and how many drunk drivers will venture out to drive home? Is this really how we want to spend our Christmas?
I have long ago come to the conclusion I am old-fashioned. Others might call me a curmudgeon. I am clearly the former, but no one can honestly claim the latter.
But I stand by my claim that the lowering of values and standards is moving our country and society in a direction that is not making us better, but making us more prone to fall for anything that marketers want to throw at us.
Lots of money will be made from corporate greed as they will sell this game and promote it for all they can make. We are mere pawns to them, and we are allowing these fat-cats to steal a major holiday for their purpose. Whatever is made on this game for profit will be nothing compared to what we lose as nation when it comes to the undermining of the values that Christmas should promote and mean to all of us.
Doubtless many will cheer the news that a football game is going to be played on Christmas night. To those folks I have a question.
I only wonder what is so sad about their home life that a football game would be a better alternative than what surrounds them at the table or the living room?
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
Well spoken and 1000 percent right.fans all around should boycott this game and not buy tickets
Christmas day is only christian there are many other religions in this country where 12/25 is just another day on calendar and incase you haven’t noticed, many people work and shop on that day. Are you suggesting that ALL/EVERYTHING be totally stopped? No shopping, no services(police/fire/hospitals), no work? After all it is a day that everyone should stay home with their family true? 12/25 is a day stolen from pagen rituals and has no true identity based on the christian history(bible), however, the 10 commandments(pretty important to christians) says that no work is to be done on every 7th day so do you break a commandment every sunday? Do you complain because other do? Ya you really have reason to point out the sins of others while ignoring your own.
Studied,
I do not think I made my post about sin, but did make it about the taking of our holidays from people, and their families for crass money-making. I have commented many times on this blog about the lack of thankfulness people have on Thanksgiving, but instead stampede the stores so others can reap the bounty in sales.
I have a problem with the lowering of our traditions to money-making vultures.
At the end of the day that is what the NFL is doing.
I always thought there was a little conservative in you…
You may not have said anything about sin in your post but you ignored studied’s basic point.
Not everyone is Christian and sees December 25th as a sacred holiday. If you don’t want to watch football on Xmas Day then don’t. There are surely Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, etc who A) would be happy to watch it and B) don’t need your Christian holiday to promote values.
The NFL is doing exactly what owners of gas stations, airlines, restaurants, convenience stores, etc. are doing when they remain open on Xmas Day – making money. The fact that there is such a thing as Black Friday every year should say all that needs to be said about how “sacred” Xmas is to this country generally and what values the holiday reinforces.
I don’t think you curmudgeonly but “old fashioned” doesn’t do it either. Close-minded is more like it. You sit around and complain that people who don’t share your white, Christian, small town values are ruining things. (As if similar complaints haven’t been made by every generation is the history of humankind.) This country has moved on to a more urban and multi-cultural state of things so live your life as you see fit and let others do the same.
Ferrell,
I only let it out bit by bit….but I do find this all troubling about the NFL.
The NBA has been playing on Christmas Day for about the last two or three decades. Last year they played 5 games on Christmas Day, which, when you add it up, means that about the same amount of people are affected by those games. Why is it so different when the NFL does it?
Alex,
It isn’t.
I posted this today as it is the news of the day in the Wisconsin sports world, and merely the latest slap at a traditional holiday. I think removing a holiday for people so they are forced to work, and be away from their family in order to have large corporations make money on a holiday in this fashion is not something we should embrace.
Is this really how we want Christmas to be promoted….day after day leading up to Christmas with the dueling contest between the Packers and Bears?
If this is not pure greed I would ask others here to please tell me what it is.
You do realize that the Packers have no say when it comes to their schedule, right? So why does your title say Green Bay Packers Not Family Friendly.
“I only wonder what is so sad about their home life that a football game would be a better alternative than what surrounds them at the table or the living room?”
So everyone is just like you and celebrates Christmas the way you believe it should be celebrated?! That’s just blatant ethnocentrism right there.
If you don’t like it just turn off the TV, and let me watch football with my family in peace.
I don’t think the Packers have anything to do with making the schedule, and if they didn’t play those dates another team would, and since the Packers are the best team right now it only makes sense. Nobody is forcing anyone to watch the game, or “guzzle” beer for that matter. Concerning being “forced” to work those days, according to your lib thinking it should be good that these people have jobs and are able to make good living, probably double overtime for the union folks – I guess they could always schedule that day off if it was an issue with them.