This off-season drags on....

[Refugee]

OK everyone help me. I'm in England, fanatical Cowboys fan, get two or three NFL games a week (mostly live), a fix of NFL Europe, and for the first time this year NASN showed the first day of the draft live.

One of the best days of my life was seeing my one and only game at Texas Stadium last year when we beat the Eagles

Help me with this....why do the Baseball teams have a season that goes on, and on, and on, with no real excitement until the Fall? Why does the NBA go on and on and on, with no real excitement until the late spring? Yet at the same time the NFL season is so short and the off-season so long.

Is it entirely down to the physical demands of the NFL.....what came to pass that made the NFL season so short and all the other major American sports drag on interminably?

thanks

[Cajuncowboy]

Originally Posted by Refugee

OK everyone help me. I'm in England, fanatical Cowboys fan, get two or three NFL games a week (mostly live), a fix of NFL Europe, and for the first time this year NASN showed the first day of the draft live.

One of the best days of my life was seeing my one and only game at Texas Stadium last year when we beat the Eagles

Help me with this....why do the Baseball teams have a season that goes on, and on, and on, with no real excitement until the Fall? Why does the NBA go on and on and on, with no real excitement until the late spring? Yet at the same time the NFL season is so short and the off-season so long.

Is it entirely down to the physical demands of the NFL.....what came to pass that made the NFL season so short and all the other major American sports drag on interminably?

thanks

For one thing this is the only sport where you are supposed to hit someone. If it happens in the other sports it's either incidental or just not written in the rule book. Also, that coupled with the drain mentally knowing that you are going to play a violent game can take it's toll. IF you think about it the off season isn't really that long it just seems like it. They will report to camp in July and finish in late Jan. or early feb. depending if you go to the super bowl or pro bowl. That's seven months. You get about 5 months to rest up and you're at it again. Also the fact that there are so few games, comparitivly speaking it makes each one important unlike baseball, basketball and hockey where the regular season, at least early on doesn;t mean that much. Plus we pack the stadiums every week and it makes for good economics when you do that. But I know your feeling. It does seem like a long time especially when you look at the other sports.

[TruBlueCowboy]

You named it. It's the physical demands. Unless you want your favorite players to always retire after three years, football won't be matching baseball's schedule anytime soon.

[jamez25]

football is a collision sport , all the other's are contact sports... the players need time to recover from all that pounding.

[Refugee]

Yes, I get that the football season can't lengthen, but why so much baseball?

Doesn't the American public regard the number of MLB games as overkill?

[da_boyz_mk]

Originally Posted by cajuncowboy

For one thing this is the only sport where you are supposed to hit someone. If it happens in the other sports it's either incidental or just not written in the rule book. Also, that coupled with the drain mentally knowing that you are going to play a violent game can take it's toll. IF you think about it the off season isn't really that long it just seems like it. They will report to camp in July and finish in late Jan. or early feb. depending if you go to the super bowl or pro bowl. That's seven months. You get about 5 months to rest up and you're at it again. Also the fact that there are so few games, comparitivly speaking it makes each one important unlike baseball, basketball and hockey where the regular season, at least early on doesn;t mean that much. Plus we pack the stadiums every week and it makes for good economics when you do that. But I know your feeling. It does seem like a long time especially when you look at the other sports.

nice point about the importance of each game. i love how in the playoffs you either win or go home unlike baseball, basketball, and hockey.

[Hostile]

Originally Posted by Refugee

OK everyone help me. I'm in England, fanatical Cowboys fan, get two or three NFL games a week (mostly live), a fix of NFL Europe, and for the first time this year NASN showed the first day of the draft live.

One of the best days of my life was seeing my one and only game at Texas Stadium last year when we beat the Eagles

Help me with this....why do the Baseball teams have a season that goes on, and on, and on, with no real excitement until the Fall? Why does the NBA go on and on and on, with no real excitement until the late spring? Yet at the same time the NFL season is so short and the off-season so long.

Is it entirely down to the physical demands of the NFL.....what came to pass that made the NFL season so short and all the other major American sports drag on interminably?

thanks

I dare say this isn't Cricket old boy.

Okay, all joshing you aside. If you ever play the game you'd understand how grueling it is. It is quite normal for guys to lose 10 to 15 pounds per game. I've heard players describe it like being in 20 car wrecks in one day. If you haven't played the game in full pads it is hard to imagine just how rough it really is.

Another lesser reason is related but just as significant. Football is the most popular game and the TV folks always clamor for more. The season used to be 12 games, then it was bumped up to 14, now it is 16, and the networks would love for it to be 18 games. I'll be shocked i it ever happens because I don't think the Player's Union will go for it. For exactly the reasons I stated above.

[TruBlueCowboy]

Originally Posted by Refugee

Yes, I get that the football season can't lengthen, but why so much baseball?

Doesn't the American public regard the number of MLB games as overkill?

Baseball used to be the national pasttime and carries almost the same length of schedule it did in the 20's, 40's and 50's in its hey days. The baseball season was a few games shorter in Babe Ruth's days but Americans used to treat baseball like they do today's NFL. I'm sure a lot of people that don't like baseball view the 162 game schedule as overkill and it probably doesn't reflect the current popularity of baseball, but I doubt they'll be shortening their schedule anytime soon.

[TheSkaven]

Originally Posted by Refugee

Yes, I get that the football season can't lengthen, but why so much baseball?

Doesn't the American public regard the number of MLB games as overkill?

I would compare baseball to cricket. Yes it's a long season (and the games can take a long time as well), but baseball isn't about excitement.

When you go to see a football game you have been thinking about it all week, you've got your jersey on, face painted (at least I do), and scream yourself hoarse. I don't take my kids to football games (too young).

But baseball is a whole different thing. It's spring/summer, a relaxing night out with the kids. You go to the game, settle into your seat, chatter between pitches, woof down a hot dog and some fries, you get the idea.

It really doesn't matter which game that you go to, sometimes I head down to the park and I don't even know who the team is playing.

So yeah, the baseball season drags on, but you hardly notice because people don't pay attention to every game, every pitch like they do for football. That's my read anyway.

[trickblue]

Originally Posted by Hostile

The season used to be 12 games, then it was bumped up to 14, now it is 16, and the networks would love for it to be 18 games. I'll be shocked i it ever happens because I don't think the Player's Union will go for it. For exactly the reasons I stated above.

They have talked in the past of eliminating 2 pre-season games and adding them as regular season games... I think that is the only way it would happen...