Today's NawFuL

[ChairmanAgnostic]

In my yute, I recalled watching games live and on TV that were full of action, excitement and energy.
Today, it is replays, talk and advertisement.
A while ago, mi padre con mio sat and took a stop watch and timed the Bears Supper Bowel victory - plays vs. ads. Despite it being the final game of the year, there was, from whistle to whistle, something on the order of 22 minutes of actual action. Not bad, considering there are only "60 minutes" in a game. (so why do they last 3.5 hours?)

Last year (disclaimer, we were using the same system, but drinking single malt throughout) we managed to see 14.6 minutes of actual action on the field.
Replays, replays, ads, promos, historical promos of players, and more ads.
14.6 minutes out of 60 of actual play. Ads and promos fill every other second.

I predict that the NFL will wither, whither and dye and die. R I P.

Soccer, on the other hand, is constant action. somehow, that is much more refreshing than today's NFL.

Chicago's Rex Grossman, Da Man, got hurt and will probably be gone for another season. So much for a franchise player. 3d yr in a row.

[HawkerHurricane]

1. Sorry, but...

they've been predicting the rise of Soccer for almost 30 years now, and still nothing. Why? Non Stop Action means NO BREAKS FOR COMMERCIALS.

Modern Football was made for TV... and will continue to be the number one sport because of that.

Modern Baseball, adapted for radio, will remain #2... all others will fight it out for #3. Other favorites (Basketball, Hockey, etc.) will continue, as will those with determined audiances (Golf, Bowling, Bass Fishing)... but dropping Football out of #1 would require something the networks can show better.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. great PLANE, man,

do you not think that people will rebel from the NFL crap on TV (heck, being there live is even worse) just like they did from Viagra and ExtendMyPenis ads? There is only so much crap that a three gallon bucket can take before the 10 gallons of shit start to piss people off.

Football is no longer a sport. It is an advertising mechanism. Nothing more.

[jobycom]

3. That's all anything on television is. Advertising mechanism.

People expect it.

I think the reason people like football is because it isn't non-stop. Go watch Raiders of the Lost Ark, then The Temple of Doom. The second is non-stop action, and it's boring. No anticipation, no drama, just one damn thing after another. The pauses in football heighten the drama, the commercials let people grab a snack during the three hours, and the time between plays lets the announcers set the scene for the next play and fill in what was missed by those who grabbed a beer during the last play. You can pay casual attention and still got pumped about dramatic plays that are shown again and again.

Soccer has its own drama, and I've long been a fan of watching it live, but you have to pay attention for the whole game to really grab the drama. And it's not non-stop action. There's not a lot to watch with a few guys running the ball around the middle of the field. On TV it's even worse, because the camera follows the ball so closely you can't see the setup on the field. It's a better live sport, not as good for an American television audience.

Football's not just a sport. It's an event. That's the draw. You can watch six hours of bad football with a group of friends and feel like you've had a good day hanging out, snacking and drinking, and watching a few good plays.

[HawkerHurricane]

4. Got it in one.

But I'll add a definition of 'Good Play'...

A play is good if
A. It shows brilliance, poise, grit, determination and excellence
or
B. It shows stupidity, cluelessness, whining, quitting, and clumsyness.

Both are fun to watch on instant replay.

[jobycom]

5. Third definition of good play

One MFing good hit!

[RummyTheDummy]

6. Oh Please

"Soccer, on the other hand, is constant action. somehow, that is much more refreshing than today's NFL."

Have you ever watched a bunch of 8 year old girls play soccer? The workds "constant action" don't come into the picture. It's boring on that level and it's boring on the pro level and that's what the MLS is struggling to stay affloat.