NFL Moves First Game to Wednesday to Avoid Obama

The NFL season will kick off September 5, one night before the president's Democratic National Convention address in Charlotte.

Posted: 03/01/2012 01:43 PM EST
2012 presidential election, Barack Obama, Sports News, Super Bowl XLVI, NFL, Democratic Party

NEW YORK (AP) — Powerful as the NFL is, it's making way for President Barack Obama.


Opting to play a game on a Wednesday for the first time in more than 60 years, the NFL will open the regular season on Sept. 5, to avoid conflicting with Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention the next night.


The Super Bowl champion New York Giants will host the Wednesday night season-opener starting at 8:30 p.m. EDT; their opponent hasn't been announced yet.


According to the league, it hasn't played a game on a Wednesday since Sept. 22, 1948, when the Rams faced the Lions.


The NFL regular season has started on a Thursday since 2002.


This year's change was announced by the league on Tuesday. 

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(Photo: Courtesy NFL, Demconvention.org)

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