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Traina Thoughts: NFL Just Made a Huge Change for TV Viewers

The NFL eliminates singleheader TV rule, giving fans more games.

Jimmy Traina

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1. The NFL made two important changes related to television. One is a clear slam dunk, the other is personal preference.

Let's start with the slam dunk. If you don't have Sunday Ticket on DirecTV and you actually like to watch games instead of Red Zone, you are no longer a prisioner to your local team(s). The league announced that it is eliminating its singleheader rule and you will now get three games each Sunday afternoon no matter what market you are in.

So to clarfiy, if you live in New York, for example, many weeks you'd only get the Jets and Giants games, depending on whether FOX or CBS had the doubleheader that week. Now, you will get Jets, Giants and a third game each and every week no matter who has the doubleheader.

The other change the league made, in a straight ratings move, is that the divisional playoffs will now begin at 3 p.m. ET and 6:30 p.m. ET, instead of 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The ratings juice is in primetime so this is a no-brainer for the league, although some fans may have preferred the earlier kickoff.

2. The Office is divided thanks to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Bruins fan John Krasinski and Blues fan Jenna Fischer will be enemies for the next couple of weeks, which is not what fans of the show want to see when it comes to Jim and Pam.

The actors even seemed tepid about battling each other and skipped on the trash talk while acknowledging their differences on Twitter.

ESPN's Ryen Russillo used this opportunity to continue his unfounded assault on Pam's character.

I defended Pam's honor on a past episode of the SI Media Podcast when Russillo was the guest.

Anyone who watched The Office knows that Jim and Pam would never let something as silly as sports come between them.

However, you can bet on NBC, which aired The Office, making this a theme when the Finals get under way. It's already begun on its official Twitter account.

3. A brand new SI Media Podcast features an interview with newly retired NFL star and SI.com's Game of Thrones correspondent, Chris Long. The two-time Super Bowl champion talks about the controversial finale, the process he went through writing weekly recaps for SI, his decision to retire, whether he'd come back, starting up a new media company and much more. You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play.

4. Chuck wasn't having any of the TNT crew singing "O Canada" on Tuesday night.

5. Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez pulled a reverse Tony Romo.

6. Jeopardy! James, who won again Tuesday, has Deflategate jokes.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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IN CLOSING: Adam Eaton vs. Todd Fraizer has to be the worst feud in sports history.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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