Lack of Games Makes Football King
The National football league has grown incredibly these last few decades to become the true dominant sport. There is no question the action, the fun, the war-like strategy have captivated fans everywhere. But the one quiet thing it has going for it that other sports do not is simply this: lack of games.
In a society with a dizzying array of technology, get it done now approach to things, the “slow it down” view of life has changed quite a bit. This is perfect for the NFL- a league that prides itself on full out action and where every game truly counts. Compare that to another great- but totally different sport- baseball. The action comes in spurts and is a day-to-day activity like waking up each day and going about life. The fans look at the box scores and see where their favorite baseball team is. It is a slow march through the months until the final call to the World Series. Obviously people love it strongly enough to have turned it into a multi-billion dollar sport. But the true love affair is football. It is short and sweet- the season that is. The 16 game regular season compared to the 162 game season of baseball means every football game has “real” meaning here and now; perfect for the fast paced society of today that does not want to wait to see the importance of such things down the road.
The league is well aware of the incredible popularity of football and wants to squeeze just a bit more from the well- an 18 game season. While such a move would prove popular with people and yours truly as well since it bridges the gap to the baseball season, well, it is getting close to saturation. How much more can they squeeze out? We already have three national games on television every Sunday. We have the Monday night game and a Thursday night game. Part of the greatness of football is the lack of games- like a great TV show that runs for a half hour and the people want more. Ask yourself this: Would there be such hype over the Super Bowl if it had, say, 3 games to it? Of course not. That one game is what people love- the do-or-die game. The World Series would garner huge ratings if it had just one game as well instead of the best of seven it has now. The NFL is all about get it done NOW and that hits the people rather well.
So, assuming an 18 game season does come sometime soon, it is really reaching but one that may be done- particularly if they knock off a pre-season game. But one must never ignore the fact the NFL’s popularity is partly due to lack of games and not a blitzkrieg of them. Luckily a 50 game season can never happen. The players are thankful for that as well.
