Pope Francis and Taylor Swift altered the 2015 NFL schedule

Taylor Swift left the NFL with less blank space when the league tried to set its schedule for the upcoming season.
Some scheduling conflicts are bound to crop up when trying to cram 256 games into a 17-week span. This year, that meant factoring in three concerts by the country-turned-pop star, as well as a surprise September visit to Philadelphia from Pope Francis, according to Sports Illustrated's Peter King. Per King, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput asked the league to keep the Eagles out of the city on the day of the pope's visit, and Howard Katz, who led the league's scheduling efforts, obliged.
"The pope did influence the NFL schedule," Katz told SI. "My name may be Katz, but I wasn’t taking any chances."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Gavin Newsom's podcast debut is not going over well with some liberals
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The first episode of the California Governor and potential presidential candidate's 'This is Gavin Newsom' featured cozy conversation with far-right operative Charlie Kirk and a surprisingly conservative stance on transgender athletes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Extremists still find plenty of digital spaces'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
South Carolina to execute prisoner by firing squad
speed read Death row inmate Brad Sigmon prefers the squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, his lawyer said
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published