The Voice of Lee Schwartz, father of two former NFL studs, Geoffrey and Mitchell Schwartz, author of Raising Giants and member of Concussion & CTE Foundation’s West Coast Advisory Board . . .
LONGING FOR SIMPLER TIMES
With the autumn leaves displaying their vibrant colors, we know we’re deeply entrenched in another football season. My oh my, how times have changed.
Sixty plus years ago—yikes, is that possible? 😊—watching football . . . both college and professional . . . became a passion for me. Tuning in was so much easier than today.
Saturdays were the province of the NCAA. Morning until night. Three channels. (In today’s parlance they’re referred to as linear/ terrestrial stations.) ABC, NBC and CBS. ESPN was yet to be launched. Scores for games not being televised were scrolled along the bottom of the TV screen.
The NFL was even simpler. Also just one day. Sundays. And there were only two channels that aired games. CBS teamed with ABC through 1964 and then paired with NBC after the merger of the NFL/AFL. Plus, in the late 1960s, when my interest was ramping up, there were only 16 NFL teams . . . half of what currently exist.
Fast forward to the fall of 2026. The NCAA regularly schedules games on Thursdays and Fridays in addition to Saturdays. Later in the season that expands to include Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
And the options for watching college games have exploded. From all those decades ago, today a game can be found on any one of a baker’s dozen (13) channels/streamers. Choices abound.
The breadth of options to watch NFL games has also exploded as they are televised across five linear channels plus a handful of streamers like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Peacock. YouTube jumped into the fray by snagging Sunday Ticket away from DirecTV. (That’s a personal disappointment. When DirecTV owned the exclusive rights to Sunday Ticket, I was able to “negotiate” the subscription to where I received credits that exceeded the annual cost of the service. YouTube sticks to their guns. Full boat of over $500 for the season.)
NFL games can now be seen on Monday and Thursday nights in addition to their customary Sunday morning to night schedule . . . at least for me on the West Coast. Late season will also find kickoffs on Saturdays. Thanksgiving has historically been the domain of the NFL, with Black Friday reserved for college. Spreading their wings, the NFL now competes for Black Friday viewership with the NCAA, broadcasting their own games the day after we’ve devoured all that turkey.
On one hand, as a football fan, having more to watch carries some degree of attraction . . . especially for the ultimate football fanatic and for those drawn to watch because of ubiquitous gambling . . . but it just may be too much. As late November and December roll around, there’s football on the tube every day. How much can one consume?
And then there’s, “Where can I find the game(s)?” If it’s a Thursday, will it be found on a terrestrial channel or streamed on Amazon? It’s the latter, which creates extra steps. I’ve been unable to watch live games the last couple of Thursdays. Normally I could set my DVR in seconds to record and then conveniently watch when I wish, fast forwarding seamlessly through commercials and parts I wish to skip. Now, I need to access Amazon, select “Record Thursday Night Football,” add the game to my “Watchlist” and then search “My Stuff” to locate the recordings. Just not as easy.
Additionally, not all of us wish to pay for multiple streaming services just to watch an occasional football contest. It can easily become a burden on the budget.
How many of you wish for simpler times?
To err is human. To blame it on someone else shows management potential.