For many NFL fans, the wait between the Super Bowl and the start of the following regular season can feel like a trek across the desert. But for one season at least, the NFL season opener will come one day early thanks to an unlikely assist from President Obama and the Democratic National Committee.
Since 2002, the league has kicked off its regular season with a game in prime time on a Thursday night. This year, that Thursday falls on September 6. But because that night would likely conflict with a speech at the Democratic National Convention by President Obama, the NFL has decided to move that first game to the night of September 5. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement in New York earlier today.
The game, which will be hosted by the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, will get underway at 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Giants’ opponent has yet to be determined.
Eric McErlain blogs at Off Wing Opinion, a Forbes “Best of the Web” winner. In 2006 he wrote a “bloggers bill of rights” to help integrate bloggers into the Washington Capitals’ press box. Eric has also written for Deadspin, NBC Sports and the Sporting News, and covers sports television for The TV News. Follow Eric on Twitter.