Example: Commercials. After three or four minutes of commercials, however long it is, we come back just in time to see the kickoff after the latest score. Great! What action! Next: Breaking away again for another three or four minutes of commercials. What?! Am I supposed to enjoy seeing 30 seconds of action during a 7 or 8 minute period? And college football is starting to do it too! There are way too many commercials during football games. You know what? I don't drink any more. Endless beer commercials do not amuse me. Guys getting hit in the groin do not amuse me. Although I like half-naked women, I really try not to view such things in the course of my marriage. Enough! You can show them, but I'm not going to watch. That's what the DVR is for, I guess. Or the NFL Network.
Example: Convoluted rules that don't make sense. Seriously, I've been playing football on and off, both organized and sandlot, since I was but a wee lad. Everyone, whether playing or watching, no matter their expertise, experience or intelligence, can tell the difference between a caught football or a not-caught football. We have eyes. We use them. Either the ball is caught or it is not. It should not take a rocket scientist -- nor a former director of NFL officiating -- to explain why a play was or was not a catch. The laughable comment of the day yesterday was, "according to the rule, the officials made the right call." Really? If I'm a referee then I'm resigning that day. Because if I can't officiate a normal, legitimate, reasonable game of football, then why am I out there? Change the freakin' rule. Now. Today.
Example: Challenging the play on the field. Oh my gosh, who's idea was this? "Between time outs and commercials, we're just not slowing the game down quite enough. What else can we do?" "I know, let's allow coaches to challenge the calls, then it will take at least two or three minutes to sort it all out." "Why that's brilliant!" "Thank you, sir." Honestly, this is a terrible idea and a worse precedent. If you really want to use instant replay, then make it for scores only (like the way it's used in rugby or hockey). For everything else, let the human element make the decisions (see example #2). It's the best way, tried and true. Please don't let something like this become a part of baseball. Please...
Example: Excessive celebrations. I think self-indulgent end-zone celebrations are over the top; but it's the constant celebrating after every play that really drives me crazy. You just gained a first down, that's great, but do you have to pop up and proudly signal it yourself? You tackled the guy for a loss, great, but act like you've done this before. It's like every play is the final play of the Super Bowl. Now the college kids are picking up on it and doing the same thing. Soon the high-school kids will, too. I'm all for pats on the rump and high fives, but get over yourself. You're not that great. I can say the same thing for walk-off hits in baseball, but the frequency isn't nearly as bad. Then you have the taunting, and intimidation. That stuff is ugly. And no league has players that get off on drawing attention to themselves -- on and off the field -- more than the NFL. Who wants to see all of this?
Example: Cheap shots. If I had my way, every tackle in football would have to be made between the shoulders and the hips. And you would have to use your arms to make the tackle. No more hitting the head, no more clotheslines, no more blind-side attacks, no more hitting at the knees. This is a rough sport, I get it. It's a dangerous sport, I get it. Big hits make football exciting. True, at least in part, but at the expense of the athlete's health? Big hits can still happen in a more appropriate fashion. Is someone getting hurt supposed to be entertaining? I don't want to lose my quarterback to an injury. I don't want the games biggest stars to miss games or have to retire early.
Example: Technology. The yellow line for the first down marker is not bad, I admit. But a green one for the line of scrimmage? And it's too dark most of the time, and it's distracting. Soon they'll have another line charting the progress of the ball. Enough! And don't get me started about the levitating camera just above the field getting all of those desperately needed shots from just behind the huddle. Aaargh!
Put all of these things together, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to watch an entire NFL game. It's football, and I love football, but it's the game I love, not all of this other stuff. And it's the other stuff that's grabbing more and more of the time and attention. I could tell you how this mirrors life, but that would be worthy of a "delay of game" penalty.
1 comment:
Hey, that's exactly why I haven't watched a full football game in over two years. Plus I will sit down with my daughter and watch a quarter then in a week moment when I take my hands off the remote contral a commercial will splash across the screen that has me totally embarrassed. I just can't completely break the habit though...Thanks for the post.
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