The NBL wants to become the family for those who don’t have one at Christmas after hailing the success of its experiments in playing matches on one of Australia’s last remaining sport-free days.
The Tasmania JackJumpers and Sydney Kings will host games on 25 December this year, offering evening entertainment on a day that has traditionally been reserved for family time.
The NBL chief executive, David Stevenson, said attendances and television ratings over two years have vindicated a decision that might have once been considered sacrilegious.
“There will be some people who don’t like that we play on Christmas Day in the same way that they don’t like that other sports may play on Good Friday or on Anzac Day, and we’re a very inclusive sport, and so we respect all of those opinions,” the former AFL executive said.
“What we’re trying to do is just create a moment for families to be together and enjoy a special entertainment experience, and it seems to be resonating very strongly,” he said.
The first Christmas game between Sydney and Melbourne two years ago was the most-watched game of that NBL regular season, and last year’s double-header ranked in the top five highest-viewed games of the last regular season, according to Stevenson.
“There are many people who don’t celebrate Christmas in a traditional way from a cultural point of view, and so providing an entertainment option for them is good, and then also for people who perhaps Christmas Day is a lonely day on their calendar,” he said.
“To be able to provide that entertainment and joy for each of those groups is a really important responsibility, and we take that very seriously.”
The NBL’s move follows the lead of the NBA in the US, which schedules a slate of games featuring its best teams and biggest names on Christmas Day, which are played on Boxing Day in Australia. The NFL has also begun to schedule games on 25 December with two to be held this year.
Australian cricketers regularly played on Christmas Day up until the 1960s but the day has largely been reserved for family activities since then, and even the relentless scheduling of the Big Bash League has a hiatus on 24 and 25 December.
The Sydney Kings captain, Shaun Bruce, said playing on Christmas Day was not a big jump from what is already a busy period for basketballers.
“In the past I’ve had to travel on Christmas Day to play a Boxing Day game or, even if you’re playing a New Year’s Eve game, your coaches aren’t really willing to take a whole ton of time off over Christmas, so as an NBL player, you become accustomed to being away from your family,” he said.
Bruce and his fiancee, Virginia, are preparing for their second Christmas with their one-year-old son, Rocky.
While last year they juggled the Kings’ game with hosting family from interstate, this year it will be just the three of them, and Bruce plans to visit a local cafe that – like the league itself – will still be open for business. “We’ll try to spend as much time in the morning together,” he said, before adding: “I’m not sure if coach will bring us into a shoot around yet.”
He described the atmosphere within the arena as “special” and said playing on the day was particularly rewarding. “Christmas can be a tough time for people, and sometimes, whether it’s family not being around or whatnot, they can come out and support basketball and maybe get away from that,” he said.
“There’s just a good energy in the building because it’s Christmas Day, it’s hard for people to be in a bad or in a shitty mood on Christmas Day, everyone’s upbeat and it’s a good atmosphere.”
