How did the NFL trade deadline end up on Election Day? how,did,the,nfl,trade,deadline,end,up,on,election,day,sbnation,com,front-page,nfl,dot-com-grid-coverage


If you love days that are jam-packed with news, you should be EXTREMELY happy about November 5, 2024. Not only is that Election Day, but it’s also the NFL’s trade deadline.

In late June, the league sent out all the important dates for 2024 and 2025, and that’s when it became apparent that these two events would happen on the same day.

In March, the NFL owners agreed to move back the in-season trade deadline by one week, taking into account the 17-game season and the desire for another week for teams to decide whether or not to add to their rosters via trade for any postseason pushes. There was also a proposed amendment that would push the deadline past Week 10, but the proposal that was passed, proposed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, was this one, which has it after Week 9.

It remains to be seen what it will look like from a coverage perspective when teams are making those decisions at the same time the country itself is making far more impactful ones, but one should expect one’s Twitters and newsfeeds to be far past overload.

The NFL’s trade deadline ends at 4:00 p.m. EST that day, while polls will close later in the day and into the night. Which should give NFL fans just enough time to either rejoice in, or bemoan, the moves their teams did or didn’t make before hopefully voting as they see fit.

Perhaps voters in the Bay Area will be flummoxed by a Brandon Aiyuk deal. Or New York and Pittsburgh-area voters might still be shaking their heads from a Russell Wilson trade to the Jets. By that time, Aaron Rodgers will probably be somebody’s vice presidential candidate, which would bring the two stories together in a nice, chaotic fashion.

Maybe the more astute among us will consider voting by mail, so the focus can be completely on the craziest day in the NFL season. In any event, get ready for some chaos, and hydrate accordingly!

Also, if you’d like to know more about NFL Votes, a “league-wide, nonpartisan initiative that supports and encourages civic engagement among NFL players, and legends, club and league personnel, and fans,” you can do so here.

LIV Golf’s Lee Westwood making U.S. Senior Open debut, wants war to end liv,golf,s,lee,westwood,making,u,s,senior,open,debut,wants,war,to,end,sbnation,com,golf,golf-champions-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

LIV Golfs Lee Westwood making US Senior Open debut wants


Englishman Lee Westwood is fed up with the current schism surrounding professional golf, as the PGA Tour tries to strike a deal with LIV Golf’s beneficiary, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Westwood wants the best players to play side-by-side in every tournament, not just in the majors.

“No matter what the level of golf is, I think if the best players at every level don’t come together and play, there’s only one loser, and that’s the fans watching,” Westwood said Tuesday ahead of his U.S. Senior Open debut.

“We need to somehow figure a way to get the best players playing against each other more often.”

One consequence of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf divide is that the four majors have become even more prominent. Unlike regular tour events, LIV Golf players can tee it up at The Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship. That means fans get to see the top players compete side-by-side only four times per year.

LIV has also seen success in recent majors, as four of the last eight major champions currently play on the Saudi-backed circuit. Look no further than Bryson DeChambeau, who won the most recent major at Pinehurst No. 2.

“When you look at the U.S. Open two weeks ago or the Masters or the PGA Championship, people are happy to see Bryson [DeChambeau] or Cam [Smith] or Jon Rahm coming and playing in those big events,” Westwood said.

Lee Westwood at LIV Golf Nashville.
Photo by Bryan Lynn/Getty Images

“It’s basically getting all the best players together in one tournament to compete against each other, and that’s what you want at the highest level. You want all the best players there.”

This week’s Senior U.S. Open features two LIV Golf players: Richard Bland, who won last month’s Senior PGA Championship, and Westwood.

Westwood earned a place in this week’s U.S. Senior Open because he has played on a recent Ryder Cup team. He represented Team Europe at Whistling Straits in 2021, earning a single point. The Americans trounced the Europeans that year, 19-to-9.

Less than one year later, Westwood joined LIV Golf, where he has not had much success. Yet, Westwood will tee it up with plenty of confidence at Newport Country Club this week, thanks to his recent performance at LIV Golf Nashville, where he tied for third—the best result of his LIV Golf career.

“I started to swing well, and my whole game was coming together when I played at LIV Houston three weeks ago. Then I went home and did a little bit of work on it. I probably haven’t been working as hard on my game as I would have liked to, but I put in a bit more work in the week off,” Westwood explained.

“Putted well last week. I sharpened my short game up because I’ve been playing more, and my game is in a really good place. Played well on the final day, which was good. I haven’t been finishing tournaments off, so having fun for the last four holes, and finishing that tournament off strongly has given me a lot of confidence going into this week.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.