Dude, that game sucks big time

[mahnmut]

OK, I watched the Super Bowl. I mean I tried to watch it. I stayed until late night to see what's it all about.

I managed to watch only the first quarter. I just couldn't take it any more. I was bored to death, sorry...

They say NFL football is similar to rugby but that's a fat lie. No it isn't. The only similarity is the shape of the ball. All I'm seeing at the Super Bowl was endless commercials. And very little actual play. When I saw all those huge blokes, wrapped in armory and with those heavy helmets, I thought OMG I'll see a massive clash, ingenious tactics, physical play and lots of flying tackles! Well, there were flying tackles. For 5-10 seconds things are moving pretty fast. Most guys are trying to block each other, while they pass the ball to one single guy who seems to be the only guy to have enough brains in his head to devise some sort of thing remotely resembling a "strategy" that the whole team would try to use for the next, um... 10 seconds.

Most of the time those attempts fail. Then they try the move again. And again. And then they regroup and start talking. There's A LOT of talking. I bet most of those guys are philosophers, or at least TV anchors in the making. They talk and talk, and make funny signs and even use the ear-speakers (there are at least 3 coaches, and they're all wrapped in wire and phone-speakers, and they constantly draw something on funny little tablets). Then they all prepare to move. The preparation takes about 2-3 minutes, sometimes 5. There are breaks, and breaks from the breaks, and then commercial breaks, and eventually one of the teams takes a time out. And then there are A LOT of commercials. And some old "football" veterans are interviewed and shown on special features talking about their past heroics. There are lots of features, showing how great football is and how heroic its past has been. You get the feeling you're watching History Channel.

After the 1st quarter, I decided enough is enough and I went to bed. Those were about 30 wasted minutes of my life...

Still, today morning I went to Google News to check how they ended, after all. Somehow I was "rooting" for the Packers (if I could call it so). Maybe because they're from a small town, I don't know. It took me a lot of time to find out who had won. Most of the stuff I got in the news was: "Which were the best 5 and worst 5 commercials at the Super Bowl?" And: "Was Christina Aguilera's anthem performance the best for the last decade?" Very little about the actual game. Maybe because there was very little that happened on the field. Duh.

Eventually I saw that the Packers had won. I watched the highlights (I guess that's the best way to watch a NFL football game - just watch a summary of the highlights, it creates the impression that the match is packed with action). The Packers had been definitely the better of the two teams. OK, well done, Packers!

I don't think I'll be watching NFL football again any time soon.

(Sorry if this has sounded like a wank. It wasn't. I swear I made a genuine attempt to like NFL football. It failed. Sorry).

Comments

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Somehow I knew you'd be the first to comment. ;-)
It's like a knee-jerk reaction isn't it?

I tried to explain my impressions. And I got a fag macro about soccer. Funny, because my fave sports are volleyball, rugby and basketball.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Me loves me my Photoshop :-)))

No it wasn't written for you. Sometimes you're not the center of the LJ universe. :-P

Do you have anything to say on the actual game?

And I thought you were more into baseball. Don't make me start on baseball! Cos it could turn out to be even more boring! :-)

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Indeed. And binoculars too.

What about playing it? What do I need?

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

And a bunch of nice pals hehe.

Most sports are like that. Save for figure skating. :-D

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Okay but i agree that American football is a bit too static. Couldnt it be made more dynamic? And those commercials during the game... come on! :0

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Lol you're up at any time. Morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night :D

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

You mean in the Internet.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Be scared. Be very scared :p

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[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Yup, its kinda entertaining. Even funnier is the stone faces of their opponents while watching it. I remember an Irish guy challenging the All Blacks while they were performing the haka and it was interpreted as a big insult. There's a certain ethic code in that game which shouldnt be breached. But those are guys, they sometimes let their nerves slip off.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

There has been a debate which is more brutal, rugby or American football. I'd say its a toss-up. They're both brutal, just in different ways.

In rugby, you're definitely at greater risk of injury without all the padding, but the method of contact is different. Blocking isnt allowed, and tacklers are responsible for making sure the ball carrier gets taken safely to the ground. Dangerous tackles are illegal. In American football, you can pretty much do anything to take a player down, short of helmet-to-helmet contact. So the hitting is much more violent. Whereas in rugby, the focus is on wrapping the ball carrier's body up and bringing him down, in football you can launch yourself like a missile into the ball carrier's body if you want to.

Its not that rugby isnt a rough sport. It most certainly is. It just involves a different kind of physicality. Rugby is a contact sport, whereas American football is a collision sport.

I'm not taking anything away from rugby at all. I love rugby. But there's a reason why rugby players frequently get bruises and cuts and scrapes during their matches, while American football players routinely suffer sprains, broken bones, and season-ending injuries, even with all their padding. The padding (and the rule differences) allow American football players to hit with more violent force.

So the way i see it ... rugby = greater risk of injury because of the lack of protective gear, and football = more frequent (and severe) injuries because of the more violent nature of the physical contact.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I love the dynamics of rugby. It's brutal, yes. And very physical. But not violent-brutal. It's the sheer size of the players that causes the danger, and yet they're able to protect the opponent hugely. It's part of this code which the coaches are trying to instill into the players from day one, and which the refs are enforcing with precision. I like how the refs in rugby are enormously respected by the players. You can't see anyone objection to a ref decision, unlike in soccer. It's also very tactical. Most of those guys actually think. In NFL that's mostly a job of the quarterback. Take the quarterback down and all they'll have to do is run around.

I know I haven't watched enough NFL to have a more precise impression and the only way to obtain is to watch more NFL. I may force myself to do it again when I'm extremely bored. :-)

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

It could be the fact that rugby is played mostly by college elitists lol. Well, at least in most of the Anglosphere.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

There's a shift recently, its gaining momentum among "commoners" too. In SA it was regarded a strictly whites-only sport. Now the blacks are making fine inroads which is good. It brings more fans, and ultimately better player base and more quality. Bryan Habana is an idol of the blacks, and millions of them are passionately following rugby today because of him. Including my three adopted sons.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

There was a conversation some time ago about its popularity in the US at a ground level. A map showed that the US is one of the top countries in the world in terms of registered soccer players per capita. But it turned out thats only officially registered clubs. When taking the "grassroots" level, kids playing in the street or in unofficial "neighbourhood" matches, things get a bit different. Thats the main base in many countries, especially in the Third World. Brazil is a fine example, where soccer is played virtually everywhere. But there arent enough clubs to host all the talents. And that affects the statistics, which is kinda misleading.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I love your new icons btw. This is where you played with Barnet, right?

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Aye, Barnet FC.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

That's cos the plebs play league. If we want to talk about toilet sports...

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

YEAH BUT THEY HAVE NICE BUTTS!

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Damn. Good point.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

What a toilet of a sport eh. My first exposure was when I was in the states and actually went for a game. Not only that but I was too young to drink. I just sat there yelling "WHY ARE YOU STOPPING??? NOTHING HAPPENED!!! WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY NEED TO TALK ABOUT???". And they have the gall to say nothing happens in (real) football.

NFL, Baseball, Indy/NASCAR... It's like they take the awesome sports other countries are playing and make them suck through boredom.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

It's all about the commercials, methinks. I mean, what could be so exciting about watching a bunch of cars circling in endless circles around a perfectly oval racing track? The collisions? They aren't that many when you think about it. It must be the awesome commercials. Or something.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

The funnier thing is how then they go on to call these the 'World' series, the 'World' cup and the 'World' title.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

For any American's around here, ^^^ this is one of the things the rest of the world has great pleasure laughing at about you.

[il-mio-gufo.livejournal.com]

#1 MANDATORY COMPONENT WHEN WATCHING AN AMERICAN SPORT: ALCOHOL

....with the exception of basketball, i think

[pmax3.livejournal.com]

LOL. I don't know what else to say. Except.... thanks for the heads-up!

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

American football is good for Americans I guess. It reflects the American "way". Go forward and only forward and push to conquer more territory. Conquer your enemies and crush them on your way to victory and glory. =)

Some of the promo commercials for the Superbowl itself were specifically glorifying the American macho man. An American macho with big white moustache was speaking in thick Texan accent how great American football is for America, how it teaches of heroism, greatness and prevailing over the hardships to win over your enemy. The only thing missing was his cowboy hat.

So...yes, American football matches perfectly the American way. This image is being encouraged by the media through all those commercials about power and glory and heroism and competition. So it is useful in preserving the high self esteem of Americans. They do need it nowadays more than ever. =)

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

So, much like the gladiatorial games in Rome, then?

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

Except those were foreign slaves who were brought to the arena to die for the pleasure of the masses but yes, the idea is similar.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

Haha funny! :-)
There are two things I cannot understand. Why do they call it football since they almost never use their feet to kick the ball? They do it only on some rare occasions. And why do they call it touchdown since they are not even obliged to touch the ball down but they can just run into the touchdown area?

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

By the way I prefer volleyball. And biking.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

Now baseball being called like that I can understand. There are bases involved. :-)

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

First you got it backwards, the super bowl is to be watched FOR the commercials. However it's really like anything else, it's what you grew up with, I mean, I understand there are people who actually like to watch (and can understand ice hockey). That being said, I am the rare american (of the wasp variety) who enjoys watching soccer more than football.

Baseball is not really a spectator sport, but it is fun to play (which is why old guys like me still play, even if it is slow-pitch softball).

Personally I enjoy basketball, but not watching the pros.

[il-mio-gufo.livejournal.com]

Go San Jose SHARKS!!!!

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

What is a wasp variety, dear?

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

White Anglo-Saxon Protestant :D

[alphistia.livejournal.com]

YAWN!

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Why-oh-why do you hate Amurrkka?!!!!1!11!1

[alphistia.livejournal.com]

don't get me started ;-)