Why don't the Niners ever play a 4PM game when they play in the east coast?

Originally posted by blunt_probe:

Originally posted by obx49:

Originally posted by WestCoast:

Originally posted by obx49:

Originally posted by mikeyc2281:
because the set it up that games on the east coast start at 1 and 4pm... which means... 10-1 here on the west?? imagine being in Hawaii and watching 7 am and 10am....

Bucs and the Falcons played yesterday @ 4:00.

those aren't west coast teams

Exactly, they aren't west coast teams and played at 4:00 when they should have played at 1:00 just like all the other east coast teams. I agree with the OP, if a west coast team travels to the east coast then they should at least get a 4:00 game, right?

I'm probably wrong with this, but at least for bay area teams, it seems they make it so the raiders and niners are never both home or away at the same time. So if the niners played at 4:00pm ET, it would conflict with the raiders home game at 1:00. It probably has to do with TV rights.

That makes sense, but it still puts whomever travels to the east at a huge disadvantage.

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by mikeyc2281:
because the set it up that games on the east coast start at 1 and 4pm... which means... 10-1 here on the west?? imagine being in Hawaii and watching 7 am and 10am....

Did it. I grew up 6 years on Oahu and caught my fair share of early morning games as a kid. It's not that big a deal. Now look what time they get the Pro Bowl.

~Ceadder

as a military guy, I have lived everywhere it seems. Calif or Col are good time zones, the east coast time zone is brutal sometimes. Last night I was up so late trying to watch football. Hell the MNF game doesnt even start until 8:30 tonight. It sucks. I also don't like waking up in the morning and waiting until 1 to watch football. Alaska time was OK, but the monday night games start at 4:30. Most are just getting off work. Hawaii was too early for me.

I fel you bro, I was stationed in Norfolk, Philly and Pascagoula/Biloxi area. 9ers always played MNF around that time so I was pretty spoiled. II used to swap Duty with non fans just so I could catch my team in Non Divisional games. I took a lot of shat from the other guys who were local in those areas when we went up against them. But we always won. I hate this huge bump in the fork but I've been spoiled too. Comes with being a fan. At least we're not Lions fans.

~Ceadder

Originally posted by Goldson38:
I was thinking about this yesterday everytime the Niners play in the east coast or any other state that is 3 hours ahead of the west coast it's always an early game. Why don't they ever get to play a team at 4pm which would be 1pm on the west coast. Just a thought.

They sometimes did during the heart of the Dynasty years. The networks reserve the 4 pm Eastern slot for the biggest games. So when the Niners were good and playing the Giants or Redskins or Bears, they sometimes started at 1 pm here, 4 pm there as the doublheader game for the whole country. But I don't think that's happened for at least 15 years now.

Fact is, fans in the Boston to DC corridor have nothing to do in the fall and winter when it gets dark, so the networks put the best games on then.

The NFL simply does not schedule many 4PM EST games. It is a rare exception.

Originally posted by blunt_probe:

Originally posted by obx49:

Originally posted by WestCoast:

Originally posted by obx49:

Originally posted by mikeyc2281:
because the set it up that games on the east coast start at 1 and 4pm... which means... 10-1 here on the west?? imagine being in Hawaii and watching 7 am and 10am....

Bucs and the Falcons played yesterday @ 4:00.

those aren't west coast teams

Exactly, they aren't west coast teams and played at 4:00 when they should have played at 1:00 just like all the other east coast teams. I agree with the OP, if a west coast team travels to the east coast then they should at least get a 4:00 game, right?

I'm probably wrong with this, but at least for bay area teams, it seems they make it so the raiders and niners are never both home or away at the same time. So if the niners played at 4:00pm ET, it would conflict with the raiders home game at 1:00. It probably has to do with TV rights.

This is mostly true. The 49ers & Raiders cannot both be home on the same day - so for example if one of them hosts a Monday night game then the other can host a Sunday game. I believe this happened in Week 2 this year.

But basically only one of the 49ers and Raiders can be on during the late games, which is why whenever they can the NFL schedules them for 10 am games. (If you notice nearly every single primetime game either team ever gets is a game in the Pacific of Mountain time zones, because they cause scheduling conflicts) This is the only reason that the 49ers got 4 nationally televised games this year, as well as why Denver @ San Francisco was a 10 am game.

If that didn't make sense to you check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_on_television#49ers_and_Raiders

i think this is actually a really good question. I think teams that have to travel over two time zones going east---the games should be 4 pm east coast time. teams that travel to the west coast still play at 1 pm like they do at home.

Originally posted by sfninerfanMax:
i think this is actually a really good question. I think teams that have to travel over two time zones going east---the games should be 4 pm east coast time. teams that travel to the west coast still play at 1 pm like they do at home.

yeah i know my logic is a bit fuzzy--but i just ate and my brain needs water.

It's simple, we are not elite. If we were elite going up against an elite Eastern team, maybe they would schedule it in the 4pm slot. However most eastern teams play at 1 instead anyways, unless it were the game of the week.

because Goodell knows that statistically west coast teams play bad when they play the early game on the east coast. He has a hard on for the east coast and gets his jizzy on any time a west coast team gets f**ked over.