The NFL Will Give Service Members Free Access To All Games This Season & That’s A Beautiful Thing

Anything we can ever do for the troops should be embraced. These courageous men and women keep our country safe, and good on the National Football League for helping those active service members and many more in the military keep their fandom alive. It's been rather widely reported (h/t Yahoo Sports ), but the bottom line is that full, unfettered and free access to all NFL games will be available through the American Forces Network via streaming. Here's a statement via the Department of the Defense , made by American Forces Network AFN Broadcast Center Director Jim Alexander:

"The NFL's continued partnership and support of U.S. military audiences overseas has been tremendous...The game access the NFL has provided U.S. service members and their families this year is beyond measure and so appreciated by our military forces serving overseas."

This is especially commendable of the NFL given their stinginess and upcharging of the whole Sunday Ticket package . Initially ordered to shell out what would amount to $14 billion to paying subscribers who felt they were overcharged, a higher court ruled in the league's favor upon appeal, so that payout ain't happening. No surprise. As recently as August 22, USAA announced access to a discounted Sunday Ticket package for military members and veterans. https://twitter.com/USAA/status/1826652588894212435 Now they don't even have to resort to that. The American Forces Network is essentially free Sunday Ticket for the military. We'll never get that as a whole nation, but if anyone can get it, let it be those who serve and have served in the military and their families. This is especially awesome for military members who are in the midst of deployment. You hear stories all the time about how some sort of normalcy amid their extraordinarily taxing circumstances can be such a source of relief, whether it's watching their favorite football team, keeping up with their favorite TV show when possible, or bonding over a movie. I wish I had something more revelatory and insightful to say about this other than: More of this, Commissioner Goodell! Again, you can't really go wrong by giving any sort of salute to the military. What's great, too, is this exclusive NFL access includes the ability to check out highlights, videos breaking down games, and the all-inclusive package runs through the playoffs and the Super Bowl, too! Hell yeah. Damn it's great to have the NFL officially back. What an opening act the Chiefs and Ravens gave us last night, with KC winning by Isaiah Likely's toe . F**k it. We're rolling the Al Pacino Any Given Sunday speech on teamwork that will fire up a football, military, or any (given) audience alike... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1yWSePMqsk