Why is the NFL the best pro sport in the USA?

[Darrell Green Fan]

A few reasons:

1) Every game feels simply matters a lot more due to the nature of only having 17 regular seasons games per year + 1 game elmininations in the postseason. It's much less time consuming to follow the NFL than the MLB, NHL, or NBA because of only having one game per week per team rather than 3 or 4 games.

2) American football has the perfect combination of action packed play and having a moment to take in what's going on in between plays. A lot of Europeans who like soccer complain about it stopping too much, but how is watching a sport where a team scoring 3 goals in a match is a big deal any better? Just because they spend more time actively running around the field more? I've never been able to buy that arguement. Same with watching NBA guys play halfcourt ball for 3+ quarters most games, or NHL guys skating the whole time. All sports have their place, but American football is pretty unique among them in terms of playstyle.

3) The NFL is arguably better to watch on TV than it is in person. Even listening to NFL games on the radio can be pretty intense with a good game and the right announcers. Whereas with the NBA, MLB, and NHL, they all seem to be widely considered better to see live in person than on TV. Goes back to the accessibility issue I alluded to in #2. It's much easier to follow a sport that's arguably as good as if not better on TV than it is to follow a league with like 82+ games per season that don't translate to TV as well as football does.


Honestly, for me, what it comes down to is the time restraints I mentioned. At this stage of my life, I simply don't have the time, or motivation to even halfwayy properly keep up with an 82 game NBA/NHL season, let alone a 162 game MLB season. Yeah, almost no one tunes in to even close to all 162 games of an MLB season except for retirees, but the point still stands.

I couldn't imagine taking the time to watch even 50 of those games in a single season, let alone significantly more. As much as I've made honest efforts to follow baseball/basketball/hockey more, I just can't keep up with leagues where half the games feel totally meaningless before the playoffs. Just too much of a time sink to tune in much unless it's towards the end of the season and the teams I'd root are doing well enough to still be in the discussion of winning a title that year.

Then when I do tune in, teams like the Twins and Wild always manage to blow it anyway. I get enough heartache from watching the Vikings do that as it is. Also regarding time sinks, may you have mercy on your soul if you're the type of person who likes watching games besides mostly your own teams. I can't even comprehend how difficult that would be to keep up with in the other sports leagues with 82+ games a year.

This is a pretty good explanation. Maybe it's because they play far fewer games but football is the only sport where I can watch 2 random teams and have an interest. I love baseball too but only if it's my team playing, if not it's just too slow. I used to love the NBA, but now it's a game of one on one in between jacking up 3's. This is why I enjoy seeing teams like Princeton play in the NCAA Tournament, when plays are run and executed well it's a beautiful game. There is nothing more exciting than an overtime playoff game in hockey. But to get to that point you have to watch 2 hours with 4-5 moments that actually matter.

One thing I like about football is every play has a meaning. A sack or pass completion is a tangible gain in real estate. A great move in hockey or soccer means nothing if the ball or puck does not reach the net, even in baseball a 2 out double often goes to waste. In football every yard has value.

 

[GhostOfPoverty]

As far as pro sports go I really only follow the NFL, MLB, and to a lesser extent, the NBA (I agree with dtgold88 that NBA players are tops in overall athletics). I don't follow the NHL aside from occasionally checking the standings, but I have great respect for all those passionate NHL fans.

The thing about NBA "athletics" is that while it's true they are very athletic, there's only so many interesting things that can happen in a game bases around dribbling a ball around on a basketball court. When I watch the NBA, I feel like I'm watching them all do the same things on repeat over and over again. And the athletics aren't as interesting as they could be in a league that is so heavily centered around lobbing up as many 3 pointers as possible.

Honestly, it'll never happen, but the NBA would be better off if they got rid of 3 point shots. Or at the very least, they should at least increase the length of the 3 point lines, although that'd be harder to do around the edges of courts.

In any case, I'll always find the sport boring not only because of how much it revolves around 3 pointers, but because of how easily penalties are called. A guy gets breathed on in the NBA, especially the right superstars, and it's a foul. The fouls they call in the modern NBA would make NFL referees calling endless fouls for media darling star QB's blush. I don't know how people watch on regular basis that without getting annoyed enough to turn it off.

 

[dtgold88]

The thing about NBA "athletics" is that while it's true they are very athletic, there's only so many interesting things that can happen in a game bases around dribbling a ball around on a basketball court. When I watch the NBA, I feel like I'm watching them all do the same things on repeat over and over again. And the athletics aren't as interesting as they could be in a league that is so heavily centered around lobbing up as many 3 pointers as possible.

Honestly, it'll never happen, but the NBA would be better off if they got rid of 3 point shots. Or at the very least, they should at least increase the length of the 3 point lines, although that'd be harder to do around the edges of courts.

In any case, I'll always find the sport boring not only because of how much it revolves around 3 pointers, but because of how easily penalties are called. A guy gets breathed on in the NBA, especially the right superstars, and it's a foul. The fouls they call in the modern NBA would make NFL referees calling endless fouls for media darling star QB's blush. I don't know how people watch on regular basis that without getting annoyed enough to turn it off.

Is hockey then not skating around on an ice rink?

when you watch the NBA you see shorter PGs doing the same thing as the bigs?

I get you may not like the sport.....but why make up what not to like?

 

[GhostOfPoverty]

This is a pretty good explanation. Maybe it's because they play far fewer games but football is the only sport where I can watch 2 random teams and have an interest. I love baseball too but only if it's my team playing, if not it's just too slow. I used to love the NBA, but now it's a game of one on one in between jacking up 3's. This is why I enjoy seeing teams like Princeton play in the NCAA Tournament, when plays are run and executed well it's a beautiful game. There is nothing more exciting than an overtime playoff game in hockey. But to get to that point you have to watch 2 hours with 4-5 moments that actually matter.

One thing I like about football is every play has a meaning. A sack or pass completion is a tangible gain in real estate. A great move in hockey or soccer means nothing if the ball or puck does not reach the net, even in baseball a 2 out double often goes to waste. In football every yard has value.

The fact of field position being such a much bigger deal in the NFL (which you touched on here) than other sports is a huge reason for the appeal of football. Field position is constantly a very relevant issue for both teams in football. Whereas if something crazy happens to change position much in hockey or soccer, it doesn't really matter one bit 3 seconds later if the team doesn't get a score out of it. Field position is non-existent in baseball, making it very unique how much it matters in the NFL. Also, a team running back a fumble or INT or a TD is simply far more impactful on the game than say, stealing it and running it back for an easy layup in basketball.

Good point about the NBA being all about 3 pointers. Anytime I've tried to watch an NBA game over the past 10 - 20 years, it seems like all it is is teams trying to jack up as many 3's as possible while playing halfcourt ball for 3+ quarters + penalties called over the lamest crap for free pointers. Call me crazy, but the entertainment value I can get out of watching a game that revolves like 75% around chucking up 3's like a spaz and free point shots because someone got breathed on is very limited.

 

[PDay8810]

I like sports.
Football the most, NBA basketball the least.

the end

 

[GhostOfPoverty]

Is hockey then not skating around on an ice rink?

when you watch the NBA you see shorter PGs doing the same thing as the bigs?

I get you may not like the sport.....but why make up what not to like?

What are you driveling on about here, anyway? You only addressed one point of my post, and the least relevant one which was talking about something very specific someone else said.

But back to the athletics part. In the NFL, you can see wild athletics when a WR makes a big difficult catch, a DB makes a play to nab an INT, a QB keeps it together and scrambles and runs for a gain or throws on the move, a DE blows past a massive O-linemen or two to get to a QB, someone leaps over a defender trying to make a tackle, etc.

Now let's compare all of that to basketball athletics. They sure are fast, jumpy, and well coordinated. But what they are specifically doing with it is much more limited due to the nature of the game. Plus you have guys like Jokic who aren't all that extremely athletic but are still the best because they prove that insane height combined with good fundamentals is all it takes to be at least decent at basketball.

 

[dtgold88]

What are you driveling on about here, anyway? You only addressed one point of my post, and the least relevant one which was talking about something very specific someone else said.

But back to the athletics part. In the NFL, you can see wild athletics when a WR makes a big difficult catch, a DB makes a play to nab an INT, a QB keeps it together and scrambles and runs for a gain or throws on the move, a DE blows past a massive O-linemen or two to get to a QB, someone leaps over a defender trying to make a tackle, etc.

Now let's compare all of that to basketball athletics. They sure are fast, jumpy, and well coordinated. But what they are specifically doing with it is much more limited due to the nature of the game. Plus you have guys like Jokic who aren't all that extremely athletic but are still the best because they prove that insane height combined with good fundamentals is all it takes to be at least decent at basketball.

This was your comment - "When I watch the NBA, I feel like I'm watching them ALL do the same things on repeat over and over again."

The drivel was pointing out what an absurd comment that was. You could be an adult and walk it back...or don't.

A QB keeping it together and scrambling and...oh my....runs for a game shows some athletic prowess? I can agree leaping over a defender can be athletic. Happens in the NBA and the NFL if not aware.

Were Brady/Manning extremely athletic or maybe smarts and fundamentals was what made him thrive.

As I said.....it's fine to not like the NBA and/or the players but no need to make up some absurd narrative trying to take away from the athleticism you see in many players. But it was comical.

 

[GhostOfPoverty]

This was your comment - "When I watch the NBA, I feel like I'm watching them ALL do the same things on repeat over and over again."

The drivel was pointing out what an absurd comment that was. You could be an adult and walk it back...or don't.

A QB keeping it together and scrambling and...oh my....runs for a game shows some athletic prowess? I can agree leaping over a defender can be athletic. Happens in the NBA and the NFL if not aware.

Were Brady/Manning extremely athletic or maybe smarts and fundamentals was what made him thrive.

As I said.....it's fine to not like the NBA and/or the players but no need to make up some absurd narrative trying to take away from the athleticism you see in many players. But it was comical.

You find the athletics of the NBA interesting. I do not find them interesting enough to grab my attention to the sport much. Both opinions are okay. I never said anything negative about people who disagree with me, but just gave my reasons for my different opinion. You're making this out to be much more complicated than it actually is.

 

[dtgold88]

This is a pretty good explanation. Maybe it's because they play far fewer games but football is the only sport where I can watch 2 random teams and have an interest. I love baseball too but only if it's my team playing, if not it's just too slow. I used to love the NBA, but now it's a game of one on one in between jacking up 3's. This is why I enjoy seeing teams like Princeton play in the NCAA Tournament, when plays are run and executed well it's a beautiful game. There is nothing more exciting than an overtime playoff game in hockey. But to get to that point you have to watch 2 hours with 4-5 moments that actually matter.

One thing I like about football is every play has a meaning. A sack or pass completion is a tangible gain in real estate. A great move in hockey or soccer means nothing if the ball or puck does not reach the net, even in baseball a 2 out double often goes to waste. In football every yard has value.

Football still my favorite sport to watch and not really close but think you are doing an injustice to bball IMO. It's not so much "jacking up 3s for one". I mean, the ball is moved around to get good shots in many cases. But the reason so many more 3s are taken now (and not taking as many shots in, say, the 8-18 foot range) is it's so much more efficient (combined with layups and shots near rim).

I think you overvalue football, too. I mean, you say a 2 out double means nothing if it goes to waste but isn't the same true of a 50 yard bomb if you never even get into FG range?

 

[dtgold88]

You find the athletics of the NBA interesting. I do not find them interesting enough to grab my attention to the sport much. Both opinions are okay. I never said anything negative about people who disagree with me, but just gave my reasons for my different opinion. You're making this out to be much more complicated than it actually is.

I mean, I even said we like what we like. I simply pointed out that IMO some of your opinions were absurd or made up. PGs and centers do not do the same thing on an NBA court any more than a RB and a WR do in football.,

As far as liking football a lot more than basketball I agree with you completely.

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

I like football the most because that's what my dad watched when I was growing up. So I'm much more familiar with the rules and the strategies. As others have pointed out, it's the best game to watch televised. The playoffs and the SB are institutions now, must watch TV even if your team isn't in it.

I got into b-ball in junior high and played a couple of years. Grew up in the Magic-Bird-MJ era, great time for NBA. Not as familiar with the modern sport and really don't have a team I follow.

Got into hockey in college, best sport to watch in person but awful on TV. Not as familiar with the rules and strategy but still enjoy it. Really pay attention during the SC playoffs

Baseball, we didn't have a pro team within driving distance growing up but I played youth ball for a couple of seasons in elementary/jr. high. It wasn't until I moved to NY and could watch live games in person that I became a bigger MLB fan. The fact that it's got most of the summer all to itself is a huge advantage.

 

[Thruthefog]

Baseball used to be a great sport, but the recent rule changes were retarded. Extra innings, plunk a guy on 2nd base; were they on acid? I've watched my last baseball game.

 

[IronJaw]

I don't think there is a better sport to watch in the US than pro football. It's a game you can follow live or in person, it's not over saturated with too many games and the way it's set up with revenue sharing and the salary cap just makes it more competitive from top to bottom, and better to watch and be a fan.

Here are the reasons why I don't follow the other pro sports.

MLB - Too slow, the pace of that game just makes it boring to me. While I do enjoy going to a game in person, it's more about the atmosphere than the game. Watching it on TV is almost unbearable until the playoffs, but even then it's slow.

NHL - Fantastic game to go see in person, just too difficult to watch on TV. Unfortunately, where I grew up we didn't have a NHL franchise so I just never got into it. Have gone to a few games and they were awesome in person. The action away from the puck is all kinds of awesome, but you don't get a feel for the game on TV.

NBA - While I did enjoy going to the games in person, it's been a long time. They took too much defense out of the game and now it just seems to me like it's take it to the rack or kick and shoot a 3. Boring as hell and at this point in time too many fan boys that just follow 1 player as opposed to a team and I cannot stand those types.

Baseball was number one for most of the 20th Century. But today, with the mass playoffs, DH, and constant relief pitchers (very few complete games these days) along with shorter fences (the average fences are 20 feet shorter than the stadium walls in 1970 - heck, you have to wonder why bigger players have shorter fences0 and just about every player swings for the bleachers instead of making contact - which is why there are so many strikeouts these days. There were never any batters who had over 200 strikeouts until the last 20 years. The playoffs: MLB teams play 162 games to win the pennant. Heck, the 162 games is the playoff (no playoffs at all until 1969 - the winners of each league went to the World Series). The massive playoffs along with inter-league play (why should AL vs. NL losses count in the standings have hurt. Plus, the massive use of relief pitchers and extremely rare complete games. And a good portion of the fans still do not like the designated hitter. Yes, the progress has gone down. Still, MLB has more overall fans for year than NFL, NBA, NHL, etc. When you have 162 games it would hard to get the count in any other sport. I still love the game...but it's not as great as it was when baseball ruled.

 

[IronJaw]

I mostly gave up on football when the kneeling for the National Anthem started. Then I've mostly stayed away because there are a lot of non-competitive teams out there.

Hockey is the game for me. It's non-stop action. I became a hockey fan back in the sixties. That was well before HDTV and big screens.

I remember when the NHL was banned on TV networks for awhile due to a big fight on TV with the Flyers.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Football is just a cool sport, the rules have hurt the game lately giving the offense more of an advantage which is stupid, BUT that aside Football offers drama, close games with final drives people enjoy watching … It’s a battle in the trenches where bigger and stronger pay off, then you have fineness and timing with receivers and DB’s on the back end … Then last second field goals, those are HELLA fun to watch… Football is just a fun game full of drama ….

 

[ducky]

The answer to this is simple.

NFL fans can watch their teams play if they live close to that team.

Only about 65% of fans of the NBA or MLB can watch their teams play even if they live in the town the team plays in.

The NBA and MLB has literally blocked out up to 30% of their possible consumers from being able to get their product. It was an incredibly short-sighted decision made a couple of decades ago to get a little more $'s then that has shrunk their possible revenue now.

It is absolutely hilarious to see the viewership drop of MLB. There was a time when something like 20% of the US population used to flip on the World Series. Now they are lucky if they get 3% of the US population to tune in.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Football still my favorite sport to watch and not really close but think you are doing an injustice to bball IMO. It's not so much "jacking up 3s for one". I mean, the ball is moved around to get good shots in many cases. But the reason so many more 3s are taken now (and not taking as many shots in, say, the 8-18 foot range) is it's so much more efficient (combined with layups and shots near rim).

I think you overvalue football, too. I mean, you say a 2 out double means nothing if it goes to waste but isn't the same true of a 50 yard bomb if you never even get into FG range?

I will always believe NBA players are the greatest athletes on Earth. What they can do at their size is unlike any other athlete. But I stand by my comment. Go watch a YouTube of the 1977 Portland TrailBlazers or the '86 Celtics. You will see a beautiful brand of basketball with great passing, movement without the ball.. You actually see set plays executed very well.

Now the NBA has been reduced to iso's and 3's. Taking it to the rack used to mean you earned it, the Bad Boy Pistons would never leave a lane wide open. Now the lane is wide open for business, there is very little in the way of post play with a few exceptions. Sorry a game full of 3's and one on one is not as appealing to me as a game with great passing, a perfect backdoor play etc.

As for football of course a 50 yard pass still holds value even if you don't score. Field positon hommie, you can pin the opponent inside the 10 instead of starting at mid-field..

 

[dtgold88]

I will always believe NBA players are the greatest athletes on Earth. What they can do at their size is unlike any other athlete. But I stand by my comment. Go watch a YouTube of the 1977 Portland TrailBlazers or the '86 Celtics. You will see a beautiful brand of basketball with great passing, movement without the ball.. You actually see set plays executed very well.

Now the NBA has been reduced to iso's and 3's. Taking it to the rack used to mean you earned it, the Bad Boy Pistons would never leave a lane wide open. Now the lane is wide open for business, there is very little in the way of post play with a few exceptions. Sorry a game full of 3's and one on one is not as appealing to me as a game with great passing, a perfect backdoor play etc.

As for football of course a 50 yard pass still holds value even if you don't score. Field positon hommie, you can pin the opponent inside the 10 instead of starting at mid-field..

I get you are get off my lawn guy but you get these are opinions only, right? I'm old enough to have watched the Blazers, Cs and Pistons. Happen to think with bigger, faster, more athletic players the sport is better now. Yes, also my opinion. I appreciate that unlike then they actually have to play D and no just hold and grab.

Wouldn't those doubles and other hits in baseball that don't lead to runs help out in that they make the pitcher throw more pitches....homie?

 

[VikingFan2k2]

The answer to this is simple.

NFL fans can watch their teams play if they live close to that team.

Only about 65% of fans of the NBA or MLB can watch their teams play even if they live in the town the team plays in.

The NBA and MLB has literally blocked out up to 30% of their possible consumers from being able to get their product. It was an incredibly short-sighted decision made a couple of decades ago to get a little more $'s then that has shrunk their possible revenue now.

It is absolutely hilarious to see the viewership drop of MLB. There was a time when something like 20% of the US population used to flip on the World Series. Now they are lucky if they get 3% of the US population to tune in.

You are correct. Baseball was my first love as a sports fan, but they just can't get out of their own way. The competitive balance is a big issue, because so many teams cry poverty and others don't care and spend what they have to in the name of winning.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I get you are get off my lawn guy but you get these are opinions only, right? I'm old enough to have watched the Blazers, Cs and Pistons. Happen to think with bigger, faster, more athletic players the sport is better now. Yes, also my opinion. I appreciate that unlike then they actually have to play D and no just hold and grab.

Wouldn't those doubles and other hits in baseball that don't lead to runs help out in that they make the pitcher throw more pitches....homie?

Well sure throwing a few extra pitches holds value to the opponent, I guess. You really want to compare that with your opponent startng 50 yards further from the goal line? So a 50 yard completion clearly holds much more value than a 2 out double with the runner stranded.

Of course preferring the way the NBA was played in the past is my opinion, sorry if I implied otherwise.

As for being get off my lawn guy, guilty as charged. Except you can buy weed legally now so there's that.