Why in the world did Amazon pay $100 million to broadcast a football game at 3 p.m. on Black Friday, a time when most Americans are nursing food hangovers, arguing with family, or wandering big box stores? The New York Jets, after all, have been a disaster since Aaron Rodgers went down with an Achilles injury early in his first game. And Black Friday isn’t Thanksgiving, a veritable football holiday with three games stretching from noonish through the evening.
That much is clear from the initial numbers: Just under 10 million viewers tuned in, according to Sports Media Watch, which is also below the 12 million total viewers that Thursday Night Football has averaged this season. Moreover, the NFL is prevented by regulations from beginning games late enough on Fridays and Saturdays that they might interfere with college football.
