What is the point of American Football?

[GGG Gloveking]

This is exactly my story. I have a friend who plays for a team in London and he has been trying to get me into watching it for years. I watched my first game almost a year ago and almost died of boredom. I watched my first and only superbowl probably 6 or 7 years ago.

That wasnt a sport, it was a mini concert mixed with fireworks, cheerleaders and movie trailers. It was honestly the most bloated, ugly, commercialised mess I have ever seen.



It counted the time in which the ball is in actual play.



I agree, all major sports have been commercialised to a certain extent but there is still actual "sport" involved in all of them. Football is the world's game, the most played and viewed sport on the planet but even that has a solid, no nonsense 90 minutes or more of game time.

The world cup, one of the largest sporting en****** around, second only to the champion's league in prize money, is nowhere near the grotesque advertising mess the superbowl is. You don't sit through half time shows, trailers, ads for rubbish and poorly sung/lip synched concerts. It still feelsl ike a sport.

I have to say, the study is very misleading. Without knowledge of the game, one would assume that the other 2 hours 49 minutes would be available advertising time, but we know that's not the case. Not to say it hasnt been commercialization, thats obvious when a 60 minute game takes 3 hours to broadcast, but let's not act like just because "the ball isn't in play", that the game isn't being played.

There's a reason football looks like football, and rugby looks like a bunch of guys playing backyard football

[soul_survivor]

I have to say, the study is very misleading. Without knowledge of the game, one would assume that the other 2 hours 49 minutes would be available advertising time, but we know that's not the case. Not to say it hasnt been commercialization, thats obvious when a 60 minute game takes 3 hours to broadcast, but let's not act like just because "the ball isn't in play", that the game isn't being played.

There's a reason football looks like football, and rugby looks like a bunch of guys playing backyard football

It's not misleading. What is happening for the remaining 49 minutes? I've seen a game, it's nothing but standing around and talking "tactics", superior sports have tactics on the go, football and rugby are prime example and I'm not even a fan of the latter.

NFL is a joke, a grotesque, over expensive joke.

[GGG Gloveking]

It's not misleading. What is happening for the remaining 49 minutes? I've seen a game, it's nothing but standing around and talking "tactics", superior sports have tactics on the go, football and rugby are prime example and I'm not even a fan of the latter.

NFL is a joke, a grotesque, over expensive joke.

The difference between football and rugby is like the difference between boxing and a tough man contest

[Santa_]

The commercials

[Elroy The Great]

the good news is, people are allowed to watch what they want

dont like it, dont watch

[paulf]

The gaps are useful if you're only paying half-attention or doing something else. It's good to have on in the background during whatever family get together because whoever is watching will have plenty of opportunity to talk or do whatever during breaks in play.

As opposed to boxing, where if there's a good a slugfest going on you get something like "GOD DAMN IT ANNA IT CAN WAIT TWENTY MINUTES IM WATCHING THIS FOR FUCKS SAKE" out of me.

[New England]

How do they only have 11 minutes of game time? It's a 60 minute game

the clock runs in between plays unless there is a timeout, incomplete pass, somebody goes out of bounds, a quarter ends, or if there's a serious injury.

TS is incorrect in implying that nothing goes on during that time. that's when plays are called, defenses are set up, audibles are called at the line of scrimmage, etc.

but the rest of the world has a problem with the start - stop nature of the game, and they've got a leg to stand on in that regard. especially when you don't fully understand what's going on and the coordination it takes to get all 11 guys running the same play, and reacting to the scheme of the 11 guys on the other team.


think of an international sports fan who watches soccer with a 45 minute half moving to american football, where the play may stop after just a few seconds.

i think that's one of the reasons the patriots are the most popular team internationally; no huddle offense.

[GGG Gloveking]

the clock runs in between plays unless there is a timeout, incomplete pass, somebody goes out of bounds, a quarter ends, or if there's a serious injury.

TS is incorrect in implying that nothing goes on during that time. that's when plays are called, defenses are set up, audibles are called at the line of scrimmage, etc.

but the rest of the world has a problem with the start - stop nature of the game, and they've got a leg to stand on in that regard. especially when you don't fully understand what's going on and the coordination it takes to get all 11 guys running the same play, and reacting to the scheme of the 11 guys on the other team.


think of an international sports fan who watches soccer with a 45 minute half moving to american football, where the play may stop after just a few seconds.

i think that's one of the reasons the patriots are the most popular team internationally; no huddle offense.

You're kind of making my point for me. The game doesn't just stop when the whistle blows. To believe that it does, in my opinion, is to not grasp the cerebral, three dimensional chess-like nature of the game.