NFL and what a joke It is

[wizards8507]

I don't fail to see that perspective at all. I said earlier in the thread that if you don't like football that much and are into ND football because of your relationship with the school that makes some sense. But overall, the NFL product is so much better than the college product, both on a game-by-game and long-view perspective, that it wouldn't make sense to me for a person who claims to like football to say that the college game is better.

At the NFL level, the players are better and the coaches are better, and they both tend to stay in one place longer than they are permitted to in college. The competition is better because the differential between any two teams is far smaller (when was the last 70-14 NFL game?). The offseason is better because free agency and the draft are 1000x less treacherous and you know 1000x more about the players involved. The schedules are balanced, the TV production and announcing are better, there is no voting or polls or committees or computer rankings. The players are remunerated for their services, the coaches are not as big if weasels, and the institutions that makes up the sport exist for the purpose of putting on football games and don't have to undermine their own mission in order to field a competitive team.

I like ND so I root for them (mostly because they are so counterculture to what CFB generally is), but overall if CFB just went away tomorrow I can't say I would miss it other than as a minor league for the NFL.

This is a very regional view, and I had the same opinion living in Rhode Island my whole life, until I went to Notre Dame and my eyes were opened. The lack of quality college teams in the northeast has most people from that region viewing it as you described, a minor league for the NFL. It's not like that for the rest of the country.

An Outsider’s Guide to Loving College Football «

 

[Ndaccountant]

I don't fail to see that perspective at all. I said earlier in the thread that if you don't like football that much and are into ND football because of your relationship with the school that makes some sense. But overall, the NFL product is so much better than the college product, both on a game-by-game and long-view perspective, that it wouldn't make sense to me for a person who claims to like football to say that the college game is better.

At the NFL level, the players are better and the coaches are better, and they both tend to stay in one place longer than they are permitted to in college. The competition is better because the differential between any two teams is far smaller (when was the last 70-14 NFL game?). Bad teams can get good and good team can get bad in a matter of a year or two, whereas the best 8 or so programs have dominated the college game for 100 years. The offseason is better because free agency and the draft are 1000x less treacherous and you know 1000x more about the players involved. The schedules are balanced, the TV production and announcing are better, there is no voting or polls or committees or computer rankings. The players are remunerated for their services, the coaches are not as big of weasels, and the institutions that makes up the sport exist for the purpose of putting on football games and don't have to undermine their own mission in order to field a competitive team.

I like ND so I root for them (mostly because they are so counterculture to what CFB generally is), but overall if CFB just went away tomorrow I can't say I would miss it other than as a minor league for the NFL.

Did you grow up in Boston?

I ask b/c my experience is your view is shared by many that grew up in parts of the country where high school & college football really wasn't important (the northeast, West Coast, etc). Most of the rabid CFB fan bases come from the South, Midwest and the Texas area. In these areas, there is such a pride in state U that people literally will follow kid's careers as the move from the HS ranks to State U, the same State U where many people went or grew up watching. Moreover, football is THE sport in the region, with other sports being played and watched, just not to the same degree. What makes it even better, is that in most cases, there is a rival CFB team within or sharing the border, which stokes the passion level as it is much more local. The level of familiarity with the players as well as proximity to other teams develops a passion that is hard to relate with if you didn't grow up like that.

 

[Rhode Irish]

No, agreed. I mentioned in another post in this thread that in the part if the country I grew up in, pro sports are much more popular than college sports. But as a huge sports fan I have sought out college football and basketball teams to root for, and at this point I would say I'm a huge CFB fan compared to your average New Englander. So I do get what it's all about and how passionate people are about it, but I don't get how that would make the NFL worse in someone's eyes. What is preventing someone from liking both?

 

[Ndaccountant]

No, agreed. I mentioned in another post in this thread that in the part if the country I grew up in, pro sports are much more popular than college sports. But as a huge sports fan I have sought out college football and basketball teams to root for, and at this point I would say I'm a huge CFB fan compared to your average New Englander. So I do get what it's all about and how passionate people are about it, but I don't get how that would make the NFL worse in someone's eyes. What is preventing someone from liking both?

Nothing is stopping me. I will say that I typically don't have the same emotional draw to the NFL given that I am usually drained after CFB Saturday's. But, that comes from the fact that if you lose a game in CFB, your championship hopes may be done. Lose another and New Years might be done. Lose another......

In the NFL, you could go on a 3 game losing streak and still make the playoffs. In the NFL, you could be .500 for half the year and still make the playoffs. For me, this makes each game less important than the average CFB game, which makes it hard for me to get too concerned over each week. Obviously there is an advantage to that, which is it's tough to be eliminated early, which can draw out the enjoyment of the season.

I do agree with you that the games are usually played better and the NFL does a much better job of enhancing the experience than the NCAA. But there is something to be said for admiring imperfection.

 

[Circa]

Inflating the Bottom Line | NECN ...

No Joke here.

 

[Circa]

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Must be raining right now in Arizona.. Carroll was just seen looking like this walking in to the bank.. #beastmode needs to be axed what karma feels like

 

[BabyIrish]

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Must be raining right now in Arizona.. Carroll was just seen looking like this walking in to the bank.. #beastmode needs to be axed what karma feels like

If the Seahawks woulda went beastmode on the last play, they would be holding the trophy.

 

[ulukinatme]

Ha, you guys complaining about the NFL and you follow the Colts or the Giants. GTFO. Try being a Cleveland or Detroit fan. Hell, I've just about given up watching NFL having grown up near Cleveland. I have to live vicariously through ND alumni in the NFL since the Browns suck just about every year.

College is certainly better than the NFL, I don't know if I'll ever get tired of watching college ball. I quite possibly get a bit depressed when the season is over, such a long wait till the fall. The NFL doesn't have the same kind of traditions, the rivalries aren't quite as heated imo, they don't have the bands and the college pageantry. I'd also argue that most NFL stadiums, with all their money and state of the art features, can't hold a candle to some of college football's storied venues.