Tonight (and for a while) NFL > MLB

[qtlaw]

I’m in a restaurant watching both GB - KC and HOU-DC and it’s clear why NFL reigns; just not much happens in a baseball game relative to NFL, then you add in the elongated ABs. Sorry to see

 

[heyabbott]

I’m in a restaurant watching both GB - KC and HOU-DC and it’s clear why NFL reigns; just not much happens in a baseball game relative to NFL, then you add in the elongated ABs. Sorry to see

An average professional football game lasts 3 hours and 12 minutes, but if you tally up the time when the ball is actually in play, the action amounts to a mere 11 minutes
Apparently more time is shown playing replays that actual live action

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

A Cowboys-Redskins 0-4 vs. 0-4 matchup in 2004 beat Game 5 of the ALDS head-to-head. It’s called The Way It Is.

 

[DanOregon]

I kind of think the difference between baseball and football is that there is a far greater chance of SOMETHING happening minute to minute of an NFL game than a baseball game where for the most part, only three players are involved for 95 percent of the time you are watching.

That said I've enjoyed the series simply because there have been some doubles in the gap, some infield singles even - gosh - a stolen base or two.
I really do miss seeing the junk ball LOOGY pushing 40 coming out of the pen though.

 

[maumann]

Pete Rozelle realized more than 60 years ago that football is the perfect game for television. It's a once-a-week event unlike the daily grind of baseball. It's played in a much more confined space than baseball. Every play starts from a defined position with most of the players gathered in one spot instead of the pitcher-batter-catcher camera view. There's a natural stop and start to each snap that allows for quick replays before returning to live action.

Every play in football has some eye-catching collision or action, unlike baseball which requires the ball to be put into play. It's active rather than passive. If you watch games in loud bars or without sound, you can tell what's happening in a football game without requiring a ball-strike-out indicator.

And that's not even adding in the betting and fantasy aspects of the sport.

Like hockey, baseball is a game that's a much better experience live. Football is great in person, but much better on TV.

 

[CD Boogie]

I’m in a restaurant watching both GB - KC and HOU-DC and it’s clear why NFL reigns; just not much happens in a baseball game relative to NFL, then you add in the elongated ABs. Sorry to see

Baseball should create the third base channel, where you only switch to the games when someone is rounding third base. That way everyone with a short attention span can get their candy on the regular.

 

[heyabbott]

Pete Rozelle realized more than 60 years ago that football is the perfect game for television. It's a once-a-week event unlike the daily grind of baseball. It's played in a much more confined space than baseball. Every play starts from a defined position with most of the players gathered in one spot instead of the pitcher-batter-catcher camera view. There's a natural stop and start to each snap that allows for quick replays before returning to live action.

Every play in football has some eye-catching collision or action, unlike baseball which requires the ball to be put into play. It's active rather than passive. If you watch games in loud bars or without sound, you can tell what's happening in a football game without requiring a ball-strike-out indicator.

And that's not even adding in the betting and fantasy aspects of the sport.

Like hockey, baseball is a game that's a much better experience live. Football is great in person, but much better on TV.

that's the rose colored glasses version. Today, the hitting and tackling is ridiculously awful because its been both legislated out and too many player are pushing instead of tackling. Everything is subject to review, there's no continuity to the game. Rules have taken precedence over play. The only thing that's better in today's version of football is that receivers today are making catches Hall of Famers 25 years ago could only dream about. Are QBs better or do they have no fear of standing in the pocket because as soon as they release the ball its illegal to knock them down? It used to be that a QB who stood in the pocket and waited that extra half second to throw a great pass was actually taking a risk. Everyone runs out bounds. Up to the early 80s, players would rarely run out of bounds to avoid contact. They are smart to avoid getting hit and hurt, but it makes the games glorified flag football. As a non-bettor, the games lack the toughness that made it fun to watch

 

[outofplace]

that's the rose colored glasses version. Today, the hitting and tackling is ridiculously awful because its been both legislated out and too many player are pushing instead of tackling. Everything is subject to review, there's no continuity to the game. Rules have taken precedence over play. The only thing that's better in today's version of football is that receivers today are making catches Hall of Famers 25 years ago could only dream about. Are QBs better or do they have no fear of standing in the pocket because as soon as they release the ball its illegal to knock them down? It used to be that a QB who stood in the pocket and waited that extra half second to throw a great pass was actually taking a risk. Everyone runs out bounds. Up to the early 80s, players would rarely run out of bounds to avoid contact. They are smart to avoid getting hit and hurt, but it makes the games glorified flag football. As a non-bettor, the games lack the toughness that made it fun to watch

So everybody has turned into Franco Harris? Jim Brown must be losing his **** every time he watches a game.

The limits on practice time have had a big impact as well. Teams just don't get to put in the work in full pads and it shows in the shoddy tackling.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

I understand what you're saying, but tackling ain't about work/reps. It's about effort and the game lacks that more and more each year it seems.
Give me the World Series over whoever the **** was playing last night (I honestly don't know).

 

[outofplace]

I understand what you're saying, but tackling ain't about work/reps. It's about effort and the game lacks that more and more each year it seems.
Give me the World Series over whoever the **** was playing last night (I honestly don't know).

I get your point as well. I'd rather watch the World Series than a random regular-season game, too, but there are examples of lack of effort at times in both sports. There are negative trends in both, too.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

For sure there are. But I think baseball is more aware of its problems. Baseball knows it can lose all the goodwill it built for decades, in one labor stoppage.
To give you an example, a recent play that has been called 'unbelievable' - the Diggs playoff touchdown - was a result of both a busted coverage AND horrible form tackling.
There was nothing 'unbelievable' about it.
But there's modern football for you - bad pass defense, bad tackling and a few ****ball penalties thrown in for good measure.
And some (often league-paid) dip**** will call it the bestest ever.

 

[poindexter]

For sure there are. But I think baseball is more aware of its problems. Baseball knows it can lose all the goodwill it built for decades, in one labor stoppage.
To give you an example, a recent play that has been called 'unbelievable' - the Diggs playoff touchdown - was a result of both a busted coverage AND horrible form tackling.
There was nothing 'unbelievable' about it.
But there's modern football for you - bad pass defense, bad tackling and a few ****ball penalties thrown in for good measure.
And some (often league-paid) dip**** will call it the bestest ever.

Counterpoint.
There wasn't one lead change in three World Series games in DC.

That's 12 hours of watching, without a lead changing hands.

F that.

 

[Batman]

Baseball should create the third base channel, where you only switch to the games when someone is rounding third base. That way everyone with a short attention span can get their candy on the regular.

MLB Network does that during the regular season with its MLB Tonight show. It's not quite the baseball equivalent of the Red Zone channel -- there's a lot more analysis and some frequent annoying commercial breaks right as they're teasing something -- but it's not bad.

 

[DanOregon]

I do wish the NFL could institute some salary rules which would exempt three or four OLs from the cap, I have to think an OL being able to have some continuity over four or five years would make a big difference.

 

[bigpern23]

The biggest problem I can see with watching an entire NFL game these days is, every time there's a big play, you have hold your breath and wait to see if there's a flag or a review. You almost can't even cheer a good play because it seems like there's a 50-50 chance it's getting called back. We cheer replay decisions and penalty flags seemingly half the time now.

And MLB, dumb as it is in its effort to replicate the NFL's popularity, is edging down the same path with replay.

 

[qtlaw]

The problem I’ve got with penalties is that the refs are looking for penalties instead of whether it’s affecting the play or not. A hold by WR on opposite side of field is so wrong. Of course if players didn’t do it....

 

[outofplace]

For sure there are. But I think baseball is more aware of its problems. Baseball knows it can lose all the goodwill it built for decades, in one labor stoppage.
To give you an example, a recent play that has been called 'unbelievable' - the Diggs playoff touchdown - was a result of both a busted coverage AND horrible form tackling.
There was nothing 'unbelievable' about it.
But there's modern football for you - bad pass defense, bad tackling and a few ****ball penalties thrown in for good measure.
And some (often league-paid) dip**** will call it the bestest ever.

It really was a stunning failure by the Saints, especially the missed tackle. To be fair, often the great plays are also mistakes by the other team. The clutch home run is often a result of a lousy pitch. That doesn't mean the guy who hit it doesn't deserve credit.

 

[ChrisLong]

Order of interest at 5 p.m. PDT last night in my house: 1-NHL. 2-MLB. 3-NFL.

 

[poindexter]

A lot of people are coming to the conclusion that replay is a false god. I would call the time wasting, and what you describe below, as problems 1 and 1a of replay.

The biggest problem I can see with watching an entire NFL game these days is, every time there's a big play, you have hold your breath and wait to see if there's a flag or a review. You almost can't even cheer a good play because it seems like there's a 50-50 chance it's getting called back. We cheer replay decisions and penalty flags seemingly half the time now.

And MLB, dumb as it is in its effort to replicate the NFL's popularity, is edging down the same path with replay.

 

[TigerVols]

I follow the NFL in that I keep track of scores or the couple of teams I follow, but mostly I'm interested in the off-the-field stories...I rarely actually watch a game, because of the reason Poin notes above, which has sucked the very life out of the contests.