Recently, the NBA’s great player has reignited debate on whether it should be the Christmas Day of the National Football League or the National Basketball Association. Speaking after the Christmas win of the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day, LeBron James mentioned his admiration for the fact of playing an NBA game during the holiday because it’s a day destined for playing basketball and not American football. However, in terms of ratings on television, the numbers are a little different because the NFL is the favorite of viewers.
The NBA has been positioned as the focal point of Christmas Day sports for many years, promoting highly visible match-ups of the league’s top stars. Decades have made fans synonymous with exciting games during the holiday period, ranging from the storied games of Kobe Bryant to LeBron James’ yearly appearances. Such was the case in the Christmas lineup in 2024, including matchups like the Lakers vs the Warriors and the Celtics against the Bucks.
LeBron, beaming with pride, stated that the NBA’s Christmas tradition was special to him, saying, “This is what we do. Christmas is for the NBA. It’s our day to shine and bring entertainment to families during the holidays.” In that, his words drove home the league’s push to control the day with competitive matches and compelling storylines.
While the NBA has long claimed Christmas Day, the NFL’s recent scheduling has challenged that dominance. With its massive fan base and high-stakes games, the NFL has steadily encroached on the holiday, airing key matchups that often draw record-breaking viewership. In 2024, the NFL scheduled three games on Christmas, including a marquee clash between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, two of the league’s most popular teams.
The result? A ratings bonanza for the NFL. Early data revealed that the Cowboys-Eagles game attracted over 26 million viewers, dwarfing the NBA’s highest-rated game, which garnered just under 7 million viewers. Other NFL games on the day also outperformed the NBA, solidifying the league’s dominance in holiday viewership.
TV ratings show the stark contrast in audience sizes for the two leagues. The NBA is a Christmas tradition for basketball fans, but the NFL’s popularity and broad appeal give it a huge edge in terms of overall viewership. High-profile teams, playoff implications, and the league’s near-universal fan base ensure that football remains a top draw, even on a day traditionally associated with basketball.
For the NBA, the ratings gap does raise questions about its strategy to compete with the NFL on Christmas. Analysts have even suggested that the league could benefit from scheduling even more compelling matchups or experimenting with earlier start times to avoid direct competition with football.
LeBron James might be correct that Christmas Day has a special place for the NBA, but the truth is that the NFL has taken a major part of the holiday’s sporting viewership. Even though basketball still has its own special place during Christmas, football’s increasing popularity would never make one ignore the sports being dominated. For the audience, the rivalry between these two leagues only makes the day of the holiday bigger by having a whole day full of elite sports action.
