OT: Why I hate the NFL
Every Sunday when the time the Lions game starts (with much less enthusiasm than the previous day, definitely not enthusiasm unknown to mankind) I turn it on and ensure the 3 hours of which ever Lion team decides to show up that day. Even though a Lions loss will usually not upset me or give me any satisfaction I watch anyway hoping if I stick around long enough they'll luck into a Super Bowl.
Anyway, after the Lions game is done, unlike other college football games after Michigan, I really have no desire to watch any more games. I also stumbled upon a story on ESPN last night where Goodell acknowledges there has been a 10% ratings drop this season. I thought about it and here are some of the reasons I came up with for why I don't like the NFL.
1. Offenses are all similar
While some teams run the occasional zone read and wildcat the majority of teams are running the same thing. Playcalling is Lloyd Carr esque. I can't figure out if teams play so conservatively because defenses are so good or defenses are so good because teams play so conservatively.
2. Commercials
The commercial after every score, kickoff, and commercial again irritates the hell out of me.
3. Regular season really doesn't matter that much.
4. Unsportsmanlike celebration calls. I understand some players go too far but like everything else the refs are inconsistent in how they call them. Also fines for wearing a certain type of cleats? Really?
5. Inconsistent suspensions. Our own Tom Brady got 4 games for supposedly letting some air out of footballs. Ray Rice was given 2 games for beating the hell out of his wife. Guys get suspended entire seasons for smoking weed. And the latest it was revealed that Giants kicker Josh Brown has a histoy of beating his wife and was only suspended one game.
What say you? How do you feel about the NFL vs college these days?
October 20th, 2016 at 6:00 PM ^
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October 20th, 2016 at 8:38 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:01 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:01 PM ^
I hate to be the "different" opinion, but I am. I grew up in an NFL town, where the NFL team - unlike the Lions - was relevant on the national stage. My first sports memories were going to see the NFL team with my parents, and that fandom was instilled in me at a young age.
I didnt grow up a UM fan - I was an out of state student and none of my family had any ties to the university (much less the state or region). So, going to UM was certinaly novel and amazing, and I love it for all the same reasons most of the people on this board do. There isn't anything like a Saturday in A2...
But - although UM football has achieved monumental status in my mind and even surpassed my favorite NFL team - the sport of college footbal has not. I dont know why...maybe its my childhood indocrination...maybe its the talent level of the NFL...maybe its my ADD.
For me, the matchups in the NFL are more intriguing; the strategy of the game is more interesting (because few teams can win solely based on talent and speed); and, the playoff / championship structure is much more exciting.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:02 PM ^
Kind of hard to have a vested interest in the NFL when it's basically ony a handful of rich guys that stand to benefit from winning. Much easier to root for a college when you have a degree from there, not taking anything away from non-alum fans.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:03 PM ^
I feel dirty for upvoting this username.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:04 PM ^
I find myself to be the same way. I watch the Lions (I started watching when I was in 7th grade, when Barry was a rookie), and that's really it. I just don't care to watch any other NFL games.
But with college, I'll watch pretty much anything.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:04 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:04 PM ^
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October 20th, 2016 at 6:26 PM ^
Like Rex Ryan?
October 20th, 2016 at 6:31 PM ^
This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Regardless of player development, even a game between the Browns and 49ers will feature far better football players than any college game. Every NFL team is like a college all-star team. So if the skill level in the NFL is unwatchable, how can you stand college football?
October 20th, 2016 at 11:15 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:05 PM ^
For me, it seems like the networks always show the same teams on their national telecasts. Last week, the Fox game of the week was Dallas and Green Bay. I've never seen those two teams play before /s/. I watch the Lions because I'm a masochist and they're my home team, but the national games don't interest me anymore. They're always the same handful of teams.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:06 PM ^
However I've always stood by the "college player plays for the name on the front of the jersey" whereas "the NFL and professionals play for the name on the back"...
I think Bo said it best.
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October 20th, 2016 at 6:10 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:08 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:12 PM ^
Every team is basically mediocre from a talent standpoint. The teams that are consistently good are well coached teams. The others that pop up from time to time do so because the calls, the bounces, and the (lack of) injuries go their way.
I got into an argument with a family member about how any given Sunday anybody can beat anybody. That makes for boring television. If anybody can beat anybody, where's the drama? You don't get Georgia State over Florida in the NFL. Sure, 95 out of every hundred of those games go how they're supposed to, but when you get that 1, or the close ones, it brings an excitement that cannot be matched.
And when the big boys play, knowing that one loss could be the difference between a playoff berth and a Dec 31 bowl game, so much more seemingly rides on every snap.
That, and I have no idea what a catch is in the NFL. Nobody does.
[edit] My hypocritical side still watches the NHL though. I'll never leave it.
October 20th, 2016 at 11:35 PM ^
NHL package to keep watching the wings becuase I couldn't give that up. A lot of complaints about football with commercials and timeouts don't really exist in hockey. It's fast-paced and can go for minutes without a break in the action. Penalities lead to power plays which are often exciting too. I can't figure out why it's not a more popular sport in the United States.
October 21st, 2016 at 1:01 AM ^
the salary cap keeps everyone (mostly) mediocre. Sure some teams rise above it like New England, and some teams still always suck, like Detroit and Cleveland. But for the most part everyone else has become just a random number generator. What that means is that you don't have the intense emotional feelings you get in other sports. For example, in baseball EVERYONE hates the Yankees because of their payroll. That adds to the flavor of the games when you have imbalance and David vs Goliath stories like that.
The flip side is, having every team have a basically equal shot is good for fan morale, again unless you happen to live in a place with totally incompetent ownership like Detroit. But the salary cap also leads to so much constant player churn that it is hard to stay attached to players these days.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:12 PM ^
There are many reasons, but I think the biggest one is the loyalty factor. Wolverines are Wolverines for life, no matter where their careers take them. NFL players often float from team to team, but the fact that I can always love Denard and always hate Ezekiel Elliott no matter what NFL team they are on speaks a lot to why I think CFB inspires much more passion in both the fans and the players
October 20th, 2016 at 6:15 PM ^
I gave up on the NFL last year after 30 years of obsession.
Fuck the NFL for all the concussion/CTE lying/obstructionism.
I grew up in DC and lived through the 1980s GIbbs years as a kid. That fueled years of Redskins fandom through 2007 until the realization that I didn't actually want a Dan Snyder team to be ABLE to win a Super Bowl. Since I was born in Michigan, I switched to rooting for the Lions and became predictably obsessed as they bounced back from 0-16.
But the combination of concussion revelations and Harbaugh's return to Michigan freed me from caring.
The commercials, off-season controversies and prima donnas always sucked and I'm much happier without it.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:17 PM ^
They just lack the enthusiasm and intensity of college imho. The fans for the most part seem to be watching football rather than devoting themselves for 3 hours to the outcome of the game.
I will watching if there is nothing else on or nothing else to do.
Saturdays I am glued to the TV when Michigan plays and usually very close if not in front of it the rest of the day. From noon until I fall asleep watching the late westcoast game I am in a state of bliss.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:19 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:19 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:22 PM ^
45 hours....45 hours...
October 20th, 2016 at 6:24 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:25 PM ^
I like the crispness and better defense in the NFL. I sometimes get frustrated with college defenses that can't make a play or a timely stop. Overall though I can't watch 2 or 3 NFL games in a row like I can college.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:29 PM ^
A lotof those criticisms apply equally (or moreso) to college.
1 - Style of offense - ok not this one.
2 - Commercials - equally bad both ways
3 - Regular season doesn't count - So you apparently don't like college basketball at ALL, do you? With only 16 games, the NFL is more regular-season-critical than any other pro sport.
4 - Flags on unsportsmanlike celebration - Srsly. This happens like once every few games. You won't watch b/c of this? Gimme a break. And...college has the same rule.
5 - Inconsistent suspensions. Srsly srsly srsly. Like the NCAA is the model of consistent enforcement of league rules. You won't watch a game b/c some guy on some other team -- not one of the two playing a game -- got suspended or didn't. Wow. Aren't you PICKY.
I have found I much prefer college over NFL. There are lots of other reasons the NFL is uninteresting.
-- Massive free agency, where you can't hardly remember your team's players year to year, and there is zero loyalty to the team by the players (except for exceedingly few), is a main part of it.
-- The games are unattendable -- so expensive, and not-family-friendly.
-- The owners are hardly men worthy of emulation. Difficult to get really emotionally tied to an organization that is led by a cretin -- a billionaire cretin, at that.
-- The CBA disputes are billionaires v. millionaires.
-- Many players are WAY overpaid ... and don't get it. Like when Ryan Clarke claimed the players were being "treated likes slaves." Srsly dude, go get back in your Ferrari to find some young thang who wants to hook up with you, oh and STFU... don't think you're exactly a 'slave.' Or if you don't like it, quit, and go get a job as a postal carrier or something). [Although I am on record as saying: college players deserve to be paid their market value, as college sports remains the last bastion of communism in the country. Well, besides the People's Republic of Massachusetts.]
-- Ultimately, there's no meaning behind the NFL other than "we want to make a dollar...or two...at least." Whereas, universities supposedly stand for something other than football, although, not that you'd really notice that these days.
October 20th, 2016 at 10:36 PM ^
3 - Regular season doesn't count - So you apparently don't like college basketball at ALL, do you? With only 16 games, the NFL is more regular-season-critical than any other pro sport.
You're comparing the NFL to college . . . basketball?
Wouldn't college football be the more logical comparison?
October 20th, 2016 at 6:29 PM ^
I don't like the NFL too, but you don't see me bitching about it on a forum. Can't people just leave things alone that they don't like. If you don't like twitter...leave it...don't tell people that you are or why
October 20th, 2016 at 6:44 PM ^
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October 20th, 2016 at 6:30 PM ^
It is all about squeezing every penny from the fans
Teams move
Players move
over officiated
teams all run similar stuff - the read option, as an example, is a fad because QB's get killed and NFL teams don't have 4 QB's to roll through over the season
coaches are almost too good to be able to shut down a team's star
with Michigan returning to being exciting I have better options than the Lions
October 20th, 2016 at 6:33 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:34 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 8:04 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:37 PM ^
The NFL product is being diluted by a dipshit commisioner who only cares about the bottom line. On top of the shit show that is Thursday night football, the commisioner thinks he is Judge Dredd and has somehow made the NFL's image worse in his crusade to make it better which include's the league's effort to wipe out any personality shown after big plays. The amount of penalties and the fucking up of what a catch is are also infuriating.
October 20th, 2016 at 7:19 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:38 PM ^
NFL Redzone channel makes the NFL watchable because you cut out all the commercials and are always watching key plays. I still prefer college over NFL but Redzone makes it close.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:39 PM ^
The NFL has no wow factor. When's the last time you looked at a list of nfl scores and said "holy shit!" What nfl moments do people remember year after year? Almost every week in college there are multiple plays that will be shown on big screens at stadiums for years to come. NFL has better skilled players but to get that you give up passion, energy, tradition, and surprise. But mostly, after sitting on my ass all day Saturday watching college I got shit I gotta do on Sunday!
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October 20th, 2016 at 6:43 PM ^
1. Being a Lions fan automatically lowers my interest in the NFL.
2. Officiating sucks. A few years back when the replacement refs were there, everyone got all up in arms at the bad calls, but I didn't notice a difference. Hell, it feels like every other week the NFL is apologizing to the Lions for whatever they effed up that week. Top that off with "What is a catch?" It should be simple, but they have mangled it so badly that no one knows any more. [Like targetting on steroids]
3. Commercials combined with the blackout rules. I can't watch the NFL anymore -- TD - Commercial while they review - XP - Commercial - KO - Commercial - Run a play - Injury time out. I watch for 10-15 minutes and see about 2 real plays.
As everyone correctly points out, it can be nearly as bad in College, but with the college game I just flip it over to one of the dozen other games being televised. CBS, ABC, FOX, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, (ESPNews), CBSSports, BTN, SEC Network, PAC-12 Network, (BTN-Alternate), (SEC-Alternate) could all be showing a game. It gets tricky around halftime of the noon window trying to find the game that isn't at halftime, but once you cycle through everything the 2nd half is about to start.
If you're lucky there will be a whopping two games on at the same time in the NFL. (And good luck being able to watch my Lions out of market). I sure as heck am not going to pay $350 to watch a couple more games (because see 1-2).
October 20th, 2016 at 6:47 PM ^
for whatever reason, but this entire state would be buzzin' if the Lions could put together anything that resembled a championship season.
But as it is now, I watch with only passing interest. There is no swearing at the TV, just occasional laughter.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:58 PM ^
I cannot bring myself to feel any level of attachment to any pro team (and I actually actively loathe the Lions because I consider Bill Ford and the rest of the idiots who run the Lions to be the most incompetent, dysfunctional, and downright despicable front office in all of American professional sports... but I digress). To me, the passion, tradition, and excitement of college sports is unmatched. Michigan Football is my link to my childhood in Ann Arbor and my college days, i.e., the best years of my life. When I root for Michigan, I feel like I'm rooting for something to which I have an intrinsic connection, not hired mercenaries working for some billionaire-owned company in which I have no stake. Not that I don't enjoy watching pro sports; I do, but I feel absolutely no level of passion for any team in particular and can't bring myself to care about the outcome of any game.
To illustrate the difference, I'll tip my hat to a peer program: the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I think every fan of a B1G team should visit Lincoln, NE for a game at some point in their lives and get a taste of the atmosphere that Husker fans have built around their team. I visited for our game against Nebraska in 2012 and was totally blown away by the experience. Nebraska Football is an institution around which the life of the entire State of Nebraska revolves, and the fanbase genuinely, collectively considers itself to be a community. We were approached by multiple random Husker fans who welcomed us to Lincoln, thanked us for making the trip, invited us to their tailgates, and told us to let them know if we needed any help getting around. Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was unreal. Don't get me wrong; I love Michigan Stadium and I think we have an incredible gameday atmosphere, but Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is on a whole different level. To me, everything about that experience epitomizes what college football is all about, and there's nothing like that in the NFL or in any other pro sports league.
October 20th, 2016 at 7:12 PM ^
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October 20th, 2016 at 6:52 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:54 PM ^
But it's kind of a boring product and there's very little incentive to watch games involving teams you don't care about. I watch like 4 college games every week, more if I have time to watch the mid-week games, but NFL I barely pay attention to most of the time.
The focus on the playoffs in the NFL kind of ruins the regular season and it's really a cautionary tale for all the casual fan morons asking for a 16 team playoff or more even for CFB. If a bad NFL team pulls an 'upset' over a playoff-bound team, like who really cares, the bad team will still be bad and the playoff-bound team will still make the playoffs, it's just another day at the office. If Houston loses to Navy early on in the season or if Notre Dame drops one to Duke and then another one, it's got big implications for how their seasons turn out and the perception of all of those teams. There's not just more at stake because everyone is just a bit more emotionally invested than in the NFL, but also because the format is so chaotic and subjective that a Michigan fan can legitimately sit in front of the TV and have nerve-wrecking moments when NC State fails to put away a heavily favored Clemson in another 'almost upset'.
October 20th, 2016 at 6:58 PM ^
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October 20th, 2016 at 6:59 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 6:59 PM ^
The stadiums are almost all sterile corporate environments. Yes, the level of play is better but it's not as fun to watch with very little spread offenses, triple options, pistol etc. that you see in college. No big upsets where podunk u. beats the big state university. Yes there's rivalries but they pale in comaprison to Auburn-Alabama, Michigan-OSU, Oklahoma-Texas, Army-Navy etc.
October 20th, 2016 at 7:00 PM ^
October 20th, 2016 at 7:46 PM ^
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