What irks me about football (American)

ChiroDoc

ChiroDoc

Senior Member
Location
The Dixie Riviera
There are 3 chief things that irk me about contemporary football games:

1. Over the years it's become ubiquitous that the stadium crowd is part of the home team's defense. Screaming and roaring so loud that the opposing team's quarterback can't even have his calls heard by his team has not only gradually gotten worse, but it's often encouraged by the home team's players! They stand there like brats, doing butterflies with their arms to get the crowd to scream louder so that the defense has an advantage. The crowd should not be able to be a part of the play on the field. If it were up to me, I'd have the refs delay the game until the crowd pipes down a little. If they refuse, then the home team should be penalized. That would soon stop the crowd's poor sportsmanship.

2. I get sick of seeing the player who runs in for a touchdown predictably do some idiotic display of triumph, as if he just discovered a new planet, or maybe a cure for cancer. They should fine players for excessive celebrating in the end zone. I admire players who, when reaching the end zone, simply drop the ball and run off the field.

Years ago at a service club luncheon the speaker was a retired pro football player. He said the first time he scored a touchdown, he jumped up in the air, waved his arms, and made a fuss in the end zone. One of the senior players from his team ran up to him and knocked him down, saying "Hey, idiot, it took 11 guys to make that score, not just you." The player said he never did that again.

3. Any more a typical game can take upwards of 4 hours for a telecast. Only 1 hour of that is actual football play. The majority of the rest of the time is for commercials, which seem to be squeezed in everytime there's even a 15 second break in the action. It's really annoying! I can understand it more for pro ball than college. There's too damn much money in college ball. Now with NIL the college teams have effectively become a professional minor league.

I realize that none of this is likely to change. But it continues to irk me nevertheless.
 

I still enjoy watching the games. There have been some very good games this season. My issue is how the league is covered by the media these days. I am not against gambling but now that it has become so easy for people to gamble on the games the emphasis seems to be whether a team has covered the spread or not and not if the team won or lost a game. A quarterback could be 20-27 ,throw for 270 yards and his team win but if the line was for the quarterback to throw for 325 yards then the quarterback is judged as having a bad game.

It would be easy to dismiss the analysis but it is hard to do so now because companies such as Draft Kings advertise so much and even sponsor shows so it is hard to avoid it even while watching the game.
 
Years ago, when we still lived in KC, I went to a Chiefs game. Never again! Between the costs, and the traffic, and my ears ringing for hours after being surrounded by the "screamers", I have no desire to go to another game. Besides, you can see so much more of the action on TV than trying to follow the plays from a stadium seat.
 
The last time I cared was when my kids were involved and invested in high school games. That was over two decades ago.

As far as I can see they might just have 6 pro games "in the can" and rerun them chroma-keying in different colored costumes and editing different snippets together. :ROFLMAO:
 
I don’t pay much attention to sports but the thing that bothers me is the cost for the average person to attend a college or pro game especially when public funds and Pilot agreements are used to finance stadiums.

Years ago a neighborhood dad could load up the station wagon with kids and go see a game but nowadays it could cost $1,000.00 or more.

The world could use a few more cheap seats.
😉🤭😂

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Half the things you mentioned seem like the reasons other people like football. I see your points, however. I don't watch football, unless I'm visiting a friend who watches any football game that happens to be on any channel. And then I don't stay for the whole game, but we talk about the plays and visit while I'm there.
ChiroDoc said:
Years ago at a service club luncheon the speaker was a retired pro football player. He said the first time he scored a touchdown, he jumped up in the air, waved his arms, and made a fuss in the end zone. One of the senior players from his team ran up to him and knocked him down, saying "Hey, idiot, it took 11 guys to make that score, not just you." The player said he never did that again.
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He could have said, "But I was cheering for the whole team." It may have been a lie, but maybe it would have eased the animosity.
 
JustDave said:
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He could have said, "But I was cheering for the whole team." It may have been a lie, but maybe it would have eased the animosity.
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Heh, heh. I don't think so. They didn't put up with displays of ego crowing in those days. And unfortunately that type of celebratory display has gradually leaked into every other type of competition, big or small, to where anyone who does good or wins has to throw their arms into the air and scream. Everything has to be stereophonic, psychedelic, and to the max. "Woo-hoo, look at me-- I did something!" The practice has gotten long in the tooth.
 
The home-field works both ways, depending on the stadium. When the visiting team plays well, the home crowd goes silent and even the boo-birds can come out, which can be a distraction for the home team. Most teams have ways to snap the ball with a silent count and the good teams are not rattled by the noise.

I think if the refs demanded silence, they probably would get the opposite!
 
jlhog said:

What irks me about football (American) is the amount of money the players are paid. It is simply way to much. And that goes for all professional sports​

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Why my DH quit watching NFL games. They are gifted players of a game that entertains not laureates.
 
"The [left tackle] is one of the best to play this game".
Three plays later he's the reason the quarterback got sacked because he allowed the defensive player to get past him.
What does that say about the tackles throughout the league?
 
I woke up this morning, literally laughing about a dream I was having.
The dream involved me telling a friend what my team should get for punishment for being such an absolute disaster.

I said "everybody on this team, from ownership down to their waterboy, should all line up for a good 'ol Caning.
So funny, yet incredibly true.
 
Aunt Bea said:
The world could use a few more cheap seats.😂
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Please ….NO

Had one occasion some years back to be given tickets up in the nose-bleed heavens of our local stadium … thought I was going to die!!!
The feeling of falling could not escape me until getting out of there! :sick::sick:
 
Michael Z said:
The home-field works both ways, depending on the stadium. When the visiting team plays well, the home crowd goes silent and even the boo-birds can come out, which can be a distraction for the home team. Most teams have ways to snap the ball with a silent count and the good teams are not rattled by the noise.

I think if the refs demanded silence, they probably would get the opposite!
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Well, of course, the practice is by the home team fans.
If the refs penalized the home team with yardage loss, then the crowds would definitely start to pipe down, and stay out of participating in the play of the game.

None of this will happen. But the 3 things I mentioned are a sad reflection of modern American decay. There's nothing wrong with rooting for your team. That's what sports are for. But the crowds should not have an influence on the play of the game.
 
jlhog said:

What irks me about football (American) is the amount of money the players are paid. It is simply way to much. And that goes for all professional sports​

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But , at the bottom line it is a job for the players correct ? And the team owner(s) are the boss. Isn't any boss permitted to pay their employees as they please ?

Though I do agree with @Aunt Bea about the shame of ticket prices being so high. But that helps pay the salaries .

Sometimes when I think about things that I see & hear. I'm of the opinion that it is becoming a rich mans society [world] ?
 
ChiroDoc said:
Well, of course, the practice is by the home team fans.
If the refs penalized the home team with yardage loss, then the crowds would definitely start to pipe down, and stay out of participating in the play of the game.

None of this will happen. But the 3 things I mentioned are a sad reflection of modern American decay. There's nothing wrong with rooting for your team. That's what sports are for. But the crowds should not have an influence on the play of the game.
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Rooting for the home team is part of American decay.

Noted.
 
The other practice that's getting old is, after a player is tackled, he jumps up and points to his end zone. Is this a variant on the famous Babe Ruth picture of him pointing to left field where he's going to hit a home run?:)
Or maybe he wants to make sure everyone knows where he was running to..😄
 
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