1988 NFL Schedule Release

The NFL Schedule release is a prime time TV event on the east coast. It’s dropped over dinner on the west coast. The NFL schedule can be found in a blink on the internet. It’s a big deal. It wasn’t such a big deal in 1988. While passing the hours before the release of the 2021 NFL Schedule I happened upon this nugget from Quirky Research. In 1988, a frustrated Indianapolis Colts fan, after scouring the city for an NFL schedule, wrote a letter to the editor asking where one might be found. 

NFL Schedule Hard To Find

Woe is me. How might I find an NFL schedule? Recently, my weary feet and legs set out upon what I thought would be a simple venture. Instead, to no avail, the little NFL schedule is a mystery to me. 

The first stop, quite logically, was the Hoosier Dome. You know, the Indianapolis Colts play home games there. The lady at the ticket window looked at me in disbelief that someone would ask for such an item. I also asked where I might find one (she didn’t know).

Then I went to the United Way office, which has had schedules in the past. The receptionist gave me the same look of disbelief. She had something to say, in addition. The question asked of me left a very bad impression of this organization.

The lady working the front desk Aug. 22 needs a history lesson. She didn’t know why that office should have NFL schedules. Anyone with half a brain knows the NFL contributes large sums of money to United Way.

Enough said. Where might I find an NFL schedule?

Gail Blair, Indianapolis 

You can obtain an NFL schedule by writing to the NFL office, 410 Park Avenue, New York, New York, 10022-Ed.

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This sort of struggle calls back to the primitive days of the 1970s when this Minnesota Vikings fan, stuck in California, was forced to rely on TV Guide to piece together an up-to-date roster of my team. As for a Vikings schedule? I had to write the team or hope that the newspaper printed more than the schedules of the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders. It’s a lot easier to be a fan of a team, especially an out-of-market team these days.