Why are there no NBA games on Election Day? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
If you take a quick glance at the 2022 NBA regular season schedule, you’ll notice that the slate for Tuesday, Nov. 8, is empty.
That’s because that date marks Election Day for the 2022 midterms in the United States, and the league will not be holding any contests throughout the day.
Here’s why the NBA decided to do so:
Why are there no NBA games on Election Day?
On Aug. 16, the NBA announced it would be off on Election Day in 2022. The league is hoping that the 30 teams will instead encourage fans to use the day to vote in their respective communities while amplifying the importance of civic engagement.
“The scheduling decision came out of the NBA family’s focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections,” the league said on Aug. 16.
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The NBA typically doesn’t host games on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve, either, along with the NCAA men’s basketball championship game usually held on the first Monday of April and the regular break ahead of All-Star Weekend in February.
When is the last NBA game before Election Day?
All 30 teams will suit up to play on Monday, Nov. 7. There will be 15 games tipping off from 7 p.m. ET to 10:30 p.m. ET.
When will the NBA resume its schedule after Election Day?
The NBA will resume its regularly scheduled programming the day after on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Thirteen games are on the slate beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Are there other leagues playing games on Election Day?
Yes, two leagues have games scheduled for Nov. 8: the NHL and NCAA football.
There will be 11 NHL games beginning at 7 p.m. ET with the last game starting at 10:30 p.m. ET. Eight of the contests will be held in the U.S.
In college football, there will be three FBS-level games, all taking place in Ohio: Eastern Michigan at Akron (7 p.m. ET), Ohio at Miami (OH) (7:30 p.m. ET) and Ball State at Toledo (8 p.m. ET).