Sports Scrooge

By Sarah McVeigh

Holidays and sports seem to go hand-in-hand these days. I don’t really find it particularly necessary to watch sports when I am eating a fabulous meal. Maybe if I needed an escape from my relatives, I would appreciate the reprieve that a game provides. But I am blessed to say that I don’t need that sort of distraction.

This Christmas is no different — there are plenty of games for you to watch, all while avoiding your responsibility of watching cousin Tommy or checking the ham like grandma asked. I’m not telling you how to spend your day, but just remember: Baby Jesus is watching, and He wants you to go to Mass with your mom, not watch sports (“Stop judging, Sarah, it’s Christmas!”)

If basketball is your thing, you can endure 14 consecutive hours of it on ABC and ESPN. Our New York Knicks — fresh off winning the NBA Cup — play the Cavaliers at noon. Speaking of that NBA Cup, WTF? Is a midseason tournament in the NBA really necessary? I find the Knicks players to be really adorable. Brunson and Hart can do no wrong in my eyes but seeing them party after winning that “Cup” was, I’m not going to lie, cringe.

If you’d rather watch football, you have three games to watch … all on Netflix. I feel it’s inevitable for me to write an article about streaming services and sports, but today isn’t that day. Sports should be easy to watch on basic cable. I should not have to subscribe to a new app to watch my team play. But money talks, and Netflix certainly has money. The NFL lineup on Christmas is Cowboys vs. Commanders at 1 p.m., Lions vs. Vikings at 4:30 p.m., and lastly Broncos vs Chiefs at 8:15 p.m.

If it’s not obvious, I really don’t care about any of the games being played on Christmas. I guess I am slightly invested in the Knicks, but UGH. I would much rather be making a gingerbread house, playing boardgames, or singing “The 12 Days of Christmas.” I know I am in the minority! (Though I am the same person who watches the dog show religiously on Thanksgiving without a single distraction. There’s a lid for every pot, people!)

Watch your sports on Christmas or don’t, it doesn’t affect me. But call your mom, remember the reason for the season, and Merry Christmas!