Are you ready for some Detroit Lions football?
Well, though it is possible that the start of the 2020 NFL regular season is pushed back due to the coronavirus, the schedule is still expected to be released in May, though we may get it a couple of days sooner than we thought.
According to a report from Sports Business Journal, the 2020 NFL schedule could be released as early as May 7.
From Sports Business Journal:
The NFL has told network executives to expect the schedule to be released as early as May 7 — two days before the May 9 date that the NFL originally had circled.
Even though Brian Rolapp, NFL executive vice president of media, said on March 30 that the league would announce a schedule by May 9, internal debate is still roiling about whether the league should even announce anything.
Sales staffs at teams, leagues and broadcasters are agitating for a tangible schedule, desperate for any offering to give ticket buyers, sponsors and advertisers. Some high-level strategists, though, are questioning the wisdom of releasing a schedule with so many unknowns.
They worry that a schedule release will be interpreted as a challenge to powerful politicians, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been pessimistic about resuming major sporting activities this year.
For those reasons, insiders said, the schedule will be released with an emphasis on the contingencies. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said on April 17, “We continue to plan for the season as scheduled, including the Super Bowl, and will be prepared to adjust as necessary.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell later addressed the issue on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”.
“One thing I’ve learned about what we are going through as a country is you can’t tell a week from now much less three months from now,” Goodell said. “So, our job is to be ready. We will obviously be ready to make alternatives.”
As long as the season is played, we are good!
