Besides the geniuses who came up with the idea of bottled water, the people in charge of the National Football League are probably the greatest salesmen in the history of professional sports.
The NFL is by far the most overhyped product on the face of the entire planet.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-football. I've seen my share of games, both professional and college, both live and on television. I remember the excitement when the Ravens came to town. I've been to some of what were easily the greatest Super Bowl parties on the planet. And I really, really like the Manning brothers.
I just don't understand why people care so much.
A common misconception about professional football is that it's exciting and full of action. Guess what? It's not!
Some years after Hall of Fame coach George Allen retired (he coached the L.A. Rams and the Redskins in the NFL and yes, he's the father of the extremely conservative Virginia politician) the NFL assigned him a task whereby he'd watch dozens of old games on video and with a stopwatch, time exactly how much action there was in a typical game broadcast. A few months later he reported back that, on average, there's about 12 minutes of action in a typical game.
Keep in mind that the clock continues to run on running plays and passes completed inbounds, so it ticks away while the teams are huddling up and standing around.
So, even though there's four 15-minute quarters, and a game that starts at 1 p.m. usually ends at 4 p.m. or a little after, fans have paid at least $50 (usually considerably more) a seat for the privilege of watching 12 minutes of action - maybe a shade more, maybe a shade less.
If you want action, watch something like hockey or soccer (the REAL football, the one you play with your feet). People are moving the whole time. And in hockey, you get to see probably the same amount of roughing-up between players on a more constant basis, if that's what you're into.
But the proof that the press coverage and the hype surrounding the NFL has gotten absolutely out of control is the fact that people have actually started to care about and report on practices. Too often have I heard "so-and-so made four great catches in practice!"
Did he have anyone chasing after him? Did he even have his pads on? Probably not.
Know who else looked great in practice? The Washington Nationals looked superb in practice. But guess what - they were the worst team in Major League Baseball. I love them, but they stink (and have caused me much ridicule). MLB doesn't have anyone reporting on how great anyone looks in practice because they know it's pointless to do so - and so do the rest of the major sports leagues, except for the NFL.
Press coverage of the NFL as recently as the 1960s was usually no greater than the day before or day after a game. No one cared about practices, or mini-camps or even the annual draft to a large extent. The league has convinced everyone that everything they do has value, from no-contact drills to walk-throughs in T-shirts and shorts.
At least we can give them credit for being the greatest salesmen in pro sports, and for seeing the true gullibility of the American sports fan.
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