The NFL became a permanent fixture on Christmas Day in 2020 after years of avoiding the holiday unless it fell on the weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens have played on Christmas each of the last two seasons, and Kansas City has volunteered to become a permanent Christmas Day host.
The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys host games on Thanksgiving Day each season, but one NFL executive isn’t keen on making Kansas City a Christmas staple.
Chiefs Volunteer for Christmas Day Games, NFL Says No
The NFL has played at least two games on Christmas Day every year since 2021, and the league’s new Netflix partnership allows them to reach a global audience on a day when many fans are sitting at home. The NBA has traditionally dominated Christmas Day, playing games every year since 1947, but that hasn’t stopped the NFL from staking its claim.
The Chiefs hosted the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas in 2023 and then traveled to the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. The team is hoping for a similar arrangement as Detroit and Dallas on Thanksgiving, but NFL V.P. of Broadcast Planning and Scheduling Mike North doesn’t see that happening for Kansas City.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio broke down North’s recent appearance on “It’s Always Gameday in Buffalo,” where he discussed Kansas City’s volunteering.
North Said, “I’m not sure that’s gonna become a tradition quite the way Thanksgiving is. I mean, think about what it took for that tradition, right? The Lions since the ‘30s, the Cowboys since the ‘60s. We didn’t commit to a third site on Thanksgiving when we brought that back about 20 years ago. We rotated that around. I imagine we’re gonna keep rotating Christmas around, too.”
Florio noted that North realized it would be a lot to expect from Chiefs fans to attend a Christmas Day game every year. He also acknowledged that despite the current dynasty, Kansas City will eventually not be good enough to be a permanent holiday fixture.
The Lions went through a long stretch of hosting a Thanksgiving game while not being competitive, but have remained on the schedule because they were the first to do it. The Chiefs are trying to plant their flag on Christmas, but the league wants a rotation for those games.
North continued, “Never say never. Let’s see what the next few years bring. But I don’t think we’re today gonna commit to a permanent third host for Thanksgiving, a permanent host for Black Friday, or a permanent host for Christmas.”
The NFL on Christmas Day isn’t going away any time soon, but it doesn’t appear that Kansas City will permanently be home for Christmas.