NFL Network finished with 14.8 million viewers for Ravens-Steelers on Sunday afternoon in the 4:30pm ET slot, marking the best game audience on record for the network (excluding any simulcasts). The previous record was 10.7 million viewers for 49ers-Ravens on Thanksgiving night in '11. NBC had the second NFL game on Christmas Day, with the Broncos-Chiefs “SNF” matchup delivering NBC a primetime win. Broncos-Chiefs also was strong in the K.C. market, as the Chiefs locked up a playoff spot. The game drew a 42.8 local rating, second best on record for an “SNF” game in the market.

The Jan. 1 Packers-Lions game at Ford Field "has been flexed from a noon start on Fox to the Sunday night slot on NBC." The contest is a "winner-take-all meeting" to determine the NFC North division winner. The Lions "catch a bit of a break with the decision to flex the game since it gives them a little extra time to recover" from last night's loss to the Cowboys. The NFL "didn't have many other attractive alternatives" to Packers-Lions for a Week 17 flex (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/27).

The NFL also "changed the kickoff time" for Sunday's Giants-Redskins game at FedEx Field, which will now start at 4:25pm ET "instead of its original" 1:00pm time slot (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 12/25).

ABC on Christmas Day had an NBA Finals rematch – Warriors-Cavaliers – in the early afternoon slot (2:30pm ET), drawing 10.1 million viewers, which is down from the same matchup in the late afternoon Christmas slot last year (11.2 million viewers). However, that marks the best early Christmas Day window in 12 years. It also was ABC’s fifth-best NBA regular-season audience on record. ABC had Bulls-Spurs in the late afternoon window this year, but figures for that game were not available at presstime. In the 12:00pm window, ESPN aired Celtics-Knicks, drawing 3.69 million viewers. That is the league’s best figure in that slot since Celtics-Nets drew 3.74 million viewers in '12.

The Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field yesterday drew an announced crowd of 19,117, the "smallest attendance in the game’s three-year history." Boston College defeated Maryland 36-30 (CRAINSDETROIT.com, 12/26). The actual attendance in Detroit "appeared closer to 10,000" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/27). The crowd size "might have been half" the 19,117 number (Baltimore SUN, 12/27).  

• Yesterday's Camping World Independence Bowl drew a crowd of 28,995 in the "first visit to Shreveport for the I-Bowl by both NC State and Vanderbilt." NCSU won 41-17 (SHREVEPORT TIMES, 12/27). Attendance was the lowest for the bowl since '88 (THE DAILY).
• Mississippi State defeated Miami of Ohio 17-16 yesterday in the St. Petersburg Bowl before a crowd of 15,717 at Tropicana Field. It was the "first bowl game of the season to include a team from a Power Five conference" (BRADENTON HERALD, 12/27).
• Aloha Stadium hosted a crowd of 20,327 for Saturday's Hawaii Bowl, which saw Hawaii defeat Middle Tennessee State 52-35 (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 12/25).
• The announced attendance for Friday's Dollar General Bowl was 32,377 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. Troy topped Ohio 28-23 (AL.com, 12/23).
• In Friday's Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, Louisiana Tech scored a "thrilling 48-45 victory over No. 25 Navy before an announced crowd of 40,542" at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU (Annapolis CAPITAL GAZETTE, 12/24).
• There were "more than 1,000" Old Dominion fans in the announced crowd of 13,422 at Friday's Popeyes Bahamas Bowl at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. ODU beat Eastern Michigan 24-20 (Norfolk VIRGINIAN-PILOT, 12/24).

Temple and Wake Forest square off today in the Military Bowl, and the game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium "has the look and feel of a well-oiled machine." The bowl, now in its ninth year overall and fourth in Annapolis, "has established itself as a bona fide year-round operation." The game also "stands out because of its mission, which includes giving at least $100,000 to the USO every year" (CAPITALGAZETTE.com, 12/24).

Meanwhile, as Minnesota prepares to face Washington State in the National Funding Holiday Bowl in San Diego, UM "has been in the news of late for all the wrong reasons." The team launched and later ended a boycott of the bowl in "support of teammates suspended for allegations of participation in the sexual assault of a fellow student" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 12/27).

Elsewhere, the SEC's bowl revenue sharing process "will likely keep" the South Carolina football team "in the black as they head to Thursday’s Birmingham Bowl against South Florida" (Charleston POST & COURIER, 12/24). Also, the Foster Farms Bowl at Levi's Stadium has "found a way to distinguish itself" in a "crowded college bowl slate." Tomorrow's game features Indiana and Utah (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/23).

The NBA and NBPA on Friday announced that players and owners had ratified the new CBA that runs from July 1, 2017, through the '23-24 season (Liz Mullen, Staff Writer).

Sacramento-area cultural groups, nonprofits and other organizations have "received about 650 tickets" to NBA Kings games at the new Golden 1 Center with a face value "of more than $4,200" in the arena's first 11 weeks (SACRAMENTO BEE, 12/27).

S.F.-based digital media company AerNow has teamed with Ericsson to offer real-time data and video over 5G for e-sports, motorsports and the entertainment industry (AerNow).

"I said, ‘Boy, this has come a long way in a matter of one year.' It’s been a lot, but it’s been all well-deserved by the job he’s done" – Penguins Exec VP & GM Jim Rutherford, on signing coach Mike Sullivan to a three-year contract extension (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 12/27).

"The institution is bigger than any one man, whether that man be President Obama or President Trump. Ultimately players have to make their own decisions. But if they were seeking my counsel, my counsel would be that they should go to the White House if offered the opportunity" – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, on the possibility that players would boycott visiting the White House in protest of the Trump administration (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 12/25).

Former NBAer Ray Allen in a special to SI's The Crossover recounted his experience visiting American troops in Turkey, Qatar, Afghanistan and Germany. Allen, who grew up in a military family, wrote, "Being on that base and seeing a lot of young people, I saw a lot of the military members’ spouses and their kids and it still gave me that same feeling I had as a military dependent myself."

Also: 

• John Elway reached out to a Broncos fan who was the victim of a random shooting.
• The WWE "has grand ambitions" for China, a "bigger but much more difficult market."
• The NWHL takes a "leading position" on the treatment of transgender players.
• Penguins arena concierge does "a lot more" for the team than his gamenight tasks.

As a tv viewer searching for sport content - I enjoy bowl week -but the live attendance is evidence that some bowls are not attractions

— Bill Sutton (@Sutton_ImpactU) December 26, 2016

Some1 at @ESPN should tell Chris Berman he's a caricature of himself. The halftime highlights were brutal not to mention a thing of the past

— Barry Horn (@bhorn55) December 27, 2016

.@NBA get your stuff together. League Pass is malfunctioning...like always.

— Alexander Lasry (@AlexanderLasry) December 27, 2016

@stevedownie23 my thoughts on why players keep falling through the cracks and seek help through @Ch5foundation #concussion #nhl #nhlpa pic.twitter.com/cH7bqz4MAe

— Daniel Carcillo (@CarBombBoom13) December 26, 2016

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Moons and Planets.”

“The name of this moon refers to the mythical group that its planet’s name belonged to.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “More Than an Athlete.”

$200: “He took ‘Heat’ leaving the Cavs, but that televised ‘decision’ raised $2.5 million for the Boys and Girls Club of America.”
$400: “We’re off to see this team’s John Wall, an NBA Cares community assist award winner for his work aiding homeless kids.”
$600: “Seen here, he was one of the first U.S. athletes to speak out against South Africa's apartheid laws.”

“What is Titan?”

Correct responses to the “More Than an Athlete” category:

$200: “Who is LeBron James?”
$400: “Who are the Wizards?”
$600: “Who is Arthur Ashe?”
$800: “Who is Michael Sam?”
$1000: “Who is Terry Fox?”