October 20, 2005

Friday Night Football: With Hurricane Wilma bearing down on Miami, Sunday's scheduled Chiefs-Dolphins game has been moved ahead to tomorrow night at 7 ET. Perhaps somebody with a more extensive knowledge of NFL history than I possess can tell us: is this the first Friday night NFL game ever?

posted by Motown Mike to football at 02:21 PM - 20 comments

There has to have been a "SPECIAL FRIDAY NIGHT EDITION OF MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" at some point in time. It's been on every other night, for the love of Pete (Rozelle).

posted by mr_crash_davis at 02:57 PM on October 20, 2005

Well that's interesting. I seem to remember something like this before as well. And now I know what I'm doing tomorrow night so thanks Motown Mike!

posted by fenriq at 03:19 PM on October 20, 2005

A reminder to everyone in the Confidence Pool to get their picks in.

posted by smithers at 03:44 PM on October 20, 2005

As far as I can tell, this will be an NFL first. I searched back soem years, and have not found it, so it is, at least, safe to say this is a modern era first. The NFL has (or had) a strict policy not to play games on Friday, so as not to interfere with special college and all highschool games. They usually post make-up games that cannot be scheduled Saturday on Thursdays. I didn't search every game (I try to have a life) but I went back far enough to at least say this is very rare, and odd.

posted by jpageua at 04:53 PM on October 20, 2005

Apparently this is covered by Sections 1291 and 1293 of Chapter 32 of Title 15 of the US Code (as amended in 1966), which, if I'm decyphering them correctly, prohibit "telecasting of all or a substantial part of any professional football game on any Friday after six o'clock postmeridian or on any Saturday during the period beginning on the second Friday in September and ending on the second Saturday in December."

posted by kirkaracha at 05:16 PM on October 20, 2005

This is not the first time it's happened at least 3-4 times before.

posted by at 05:51 PM on October 20, 2005

And the NFL is screwing Dolphin & Cheifs fans by not showing it on Sunday Ticket (or anywhere else onNational TV).

posted by mick at 06:46 PM on October 20, 2005

Green Bay beat Minnesota on a Friday last year.

posted by blarp at 07:05 PM on October 20, 2005

Green Bay beat Minnesota on a Friday last year. Ah, yes...the Christmas Eve game. I'd forgotten about that one. I'm curious what the other Friday games (and their circumstances) were, though.

posted by Motown Mike at 07:19 PM on October 20, 2005

From NFL.com News: NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said broadcast and television details were being worked out. CBS will televise the game live to the Miami and Kansas City primary and secondary markets, which are WFOR/Miami, WPEC/West Palm Beach and WINK/Ft. Myers in the Dolphins' area, and KCTV/Kansas City and WIBW/Topeka in the Chiefs' territory. For customers of Sirius Satellite Radio, the game will be available live on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on Channel 121 for the Chiefs' radio broadcast and Channel 131 for the Dolphins' broadcast. On NFL.com, fans can follow the GameCenter live on the scoreboard, or listen to the local radio broadcast of the game via the Field Pass subscription service. (Field Pass is available on a seven-day free trial basis for first-time subscribers.) A tape-delayed telecast of the Dolphins-Chiefs game will be shown nationally on NFL Network on Sunday night, Oct. 23, at a time to be determined.

posted by Amish Priest at 07:26 PM on October 20, 2005

It blows my mind that broadcasting NFL games on Friday and Saturday has been limited by Congress because of lobbying by the NCAA in 1966.

posted by rcade at 06:58 AM on October 21, 2005

It's the constitutionally mandated separation of powers, rcade: Friday night for high school, Saturday for college, Sunday for pros. Homecoming tonight...

posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:34 AM on October 21, 2005

I'm going to lobby Congress to ban all sports weblogging on Mondays except for SportsFilter. Either that or a $50 million bridge connecting my house to the nearest comic book store.

posted by rcade at 09:38 AM on October 21, 2005

I AGREE WITH "LIL BROWN BAT" HOW BOUT THEM ASTROS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted by batman at 09:56 AM on October 21, 2005

Just curious. Was the Chiefs-Dolphins game scheduled to be a national broadcast BEFORE the date change?

posted by drevl at 10:40 AM on October 21, 2005

Yeah, on American Bettors Network. "Covering Those That Don't Cover the Spread Since 1968".

posted by yerfatma at 11:49 AM on October 21, 2005

I'm going to lobby Congress to ban all sports weblogging on Mondays except for SportsFilter. Either that or a $50 million bridge connecting my house to the nearest comic book store. I would like a $50 million bridge to the nearest liquor store. I think it's funny that the NCAA begged and pleaded for this law under the premise that Saturdays were for college and Fridays for high school and now regularly have Friday night national games, along with Thursday and all day Saturday. It's always about the money for the organization that is in place for the best interest of student athletes (allegedly).

posted by bigrobbieb at 02:25 PM on October 21, 2005

Forget the bridge and just give me the $50 million. I'll buy a boat. or you can give me a job that pays a living wage, either/or

posted by lil_brown_bat at 02:39 PM on October 21, 2005

i think paul tagliabu? is total wrong to have the game played friday, you have thousands of people trying to get ready for WILLMA and/or trying to get out of town before she hits land. not to mention that both teams had really no time to get ready to play each other. why not just let the dolphins come to kansas city to play the game.plus you have the chiefs flying to miami on friday morning and when the land they have about six hours to get to the hotel, leave there stuff there and then get to the stadium and then play the game, talk about unfair to the visting team.

posted by gordon-chiefs fan at 04:56 PM on October 21, 2005

Yes, let's start a class action suit for all the people loading up the car who stopped evacuating because football came on the teeeee-vee.

posted by yerfatma at 06:06 PM on October 21, 2005

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