Mike Francesa Torched The NFL For Making A Playoff Game A Peacock Exclusive

During NBC’s broadcast of Sunday night’s Bills-Dolphins game, many NFL fans were made aware of the news that the Saturday night game on NFL Wild Card weekend would be a Peacock exclusive. NBC ran promo after promo encouraging fans to download their streaming service, excitedly detailing how it was the first playoff game ever to be a streaming exclusive, as if that’s a thing that any fan would see as a positive.

The truth is, it’s a massive move by the NFL to put a playoff game behind a paywall — the game will at least be shown on NBC affiliates in the local Kansas City and Miami markets — but it’s not a popular one. It’s understandable why NBC would want this, as it will surely drive some subs to Peacock, and the NFL will get a nine-figure payday, but there will also be plenty of fans who just won’t tune in — or will just find a stream elsewhere.

Among those who are not happy about the Peacock game is Mike Francesa, who spent two minutes on his podcast ripping the NFL for “the biggest slap in the face to the national fan base” and being incredibly greedy asking fans to pay for a playoff game with how much they already put into the sport.

He’s right. It’s an aggressive cash grab from the NFL which, for years, has prioritized making the NFL accessible and viewable for everyone — there’s a reason it took a long time for them to give ESPN games instead of ABC. However, there has been a clear shift lately away from that, starting with ESPN getting Monday Night Football and a Wild Card game, and then really continuing with the latest TV deal that gave Amazon Thursday nights and now Peacock a playoff game.

What will be interesting is how the league responds to the inevitable backlash, and if Peacock decides it was worth shelling out nine figures for one game. In the meantime, fans will have to decide if it’s worth getting a Peacock sub for this month or if they’re going to just pass on Dolphins-Chiefs.