# I guess I don't understand football after all. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 23, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940 "2012-12-23T17:33:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/1 "2012-12-23T17:33:47Z")
I went to Chili’s with the family for dinner last night, following some Christmas shopping. The bar _and_ the restaurant are just _filled_ with large TVs, all of which, for some reason, were showing various sporting events, and NONE of which were showing anything worth watching, such as _Spongebob Squarepants_, or reruns of _Mr. Ed_. Be that as it may, several of the televisions in my line of sight were showing a football game, which was apparently being played by the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions. Periodically during the telecast, the name of the television show was flashed across the screen: _ESPN MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL_. “That’s odd,” I thought to myself. “Are they showing a rerun of last Monday’s game?” I went so far as to ask our server what was going on, but apparently she feels it’s more “professional” to concentrate on serving food to the customers than to watch the televisions, so she didn’t know. Then I went to work. While I drove home from work this morning, somebody on NPR mentioned some player on the Detroit Team reaching some kind of record or milestone for passing yards received during _last night’s_ loss to the Atlanta Falcons. So, it _wasn’t_ a rerun (unless the NFL has finally come to their senses and adopted a 186-game season where teams play each other multiple times, I’m pretty sure that this was the _only_ meeting between those two teams for this season). So, what’s the explanation for this? Has the NFL changed the name of the game to “MondayNightFootball,” instead of just “Football?” Or is there some other (probably sillier) reason for the Monday Night Football game to be happening on Saturday night? ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/2 "2012-12-23T19:15:03Z")
This was an unusual circumstance. Since Christmas eve was on a Monday, they moved this weeks show to Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/3 "2012-12-23T21:05:28Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > This was an unusual circumstance. Since Christmas eve was on a Monday, they moved this weeks show to Saturday. Thanks, my wife and I were also wondering why a game was on Saturday Night. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/4 "2012-12-23T21:18:57Z")
Later in the season when college regular season is over there are Saturday nfl games. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/5 "2012-12-23T23:03:14Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > This was an unusual circumstance. Since Christmas eve was on a Monday, they moved this weeks show to Saturday. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/6 "2012-12-25T07:02:20Z")
Don’t feel bad. After watching the last 2 minutes of the New Mexico Bowl last week, I realize that my 40+ year study of the game has been for naught. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/7 "2012-12-25T16:35:11Z")
FWIW, Monday Night Football is on Saturday again this weekend presumably for two reasons. Monday Night is New Years Eve. And team playing Monday Night, might be playing first round of playoffs the following weekend, away, across the country which does not give them much time for Prep and travel. Back when I was kid, there used to be Saturday day games schedule for the last couple of weeks of the season. But that has gone away and replaced by early Holiday Season Bowl games and College Basketball Games. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/8 "2012-12-25T16:51:35Z")
Sunday Night Football is also on Thursday nights sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/9 "2012-12-25T19:36:40Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > FWIW, Monday Night Football is on Saturday again this weekend presumably for two reasons. Is there a Monday night game this week? I thought there were only Sunday games in Week 17. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-dont-understand-football-after-all/644940/10 "2012-12-25T19:48:19Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Is there a Monday night game this week? I thought there were only Sunday games in Week 17. No, no MNF game this week. All 16 games are on Sunday (12/30). NBC has the Sunday Night game (Cowboys / Redskins); ESPN does not have any game this week (not even on Saturday).