The American flag before last weekend's Vikings-Saints playoff game. Photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images
The American Forces Network will broadcast today's NFL conference championship games to American forces abroad despite the ongoing government shutdown, per the AP.
How it happened: Pentagon spokeswoman Dana W. White said, "We were able to turn on one channel based on operational necessity and FY17 funds had already been paid on the contract. The sports channel was turned on because it doesn’t cost any more money or manpower to manage a second channel.”