Your first three points make sense, but don't lead to this conclusion at all. People are not going to rationally say "football leads to traffic so I'm not going to watch it anymore." Football is entertaining, which is why it has an audience. Whether or not the negatives you outlined above are funded by the gov't is an entirely different matter.
I used to enjoy it, at least when the Steelers are playing. Then I got into soccer, eventually getting a more expensive cable package to watch the Premier League.
Now when I watch football again, I am painfully aware of the time between plays, the incessant commercials, and now the ever increasing number of "official reviews". Seems like every 3rd or 4th play, an official has to leave the field, watch the play over and over and over and over again for 5 minutes, before announcing that, yes, they got the call right in the first place.
Soccer, the action flows pretty constantly, and it's all done in under 2 hours. Watching football is a grueling, four hour commitment. There goes your Sunday afternoon (and evening, if you are enough of a glutton to stick around for Sunday Night Football).
It's starting to all seem like Farmville. Something terribly boring, that somehow the general public has convinced itself is a lot of fun.
(But please don't tell anyone I said this, I live in Pittsburgh!)
Shirling though... Now that's a sport.
Is it really such a crazy idea that people like things that you don't? I like football and don't like soccer. Some people have fun playing Farmville. There's no objective criteria for entertainment, everyones' brain is tickled in different ways by different activities.
Do they? I had this in mind when I made that comment:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cleverest-explanation-as-...
Makes an interesting argument about Farmville's success being based more on creating social obligations, than on being inherently enjoyable. I was wondering if some of football's continuing popularity also rests on social obligations, like people in your municipality talking about the team, wearing the jerseys, posting messages on social media, participating in fantasy leagues, and using support of the team as a proxy for civic pride.
I suspect there are those, like yourself, who actually like watching the games. But I also suspect there are a large number of people who watch for social reasons.
I just can't be on the internet anymore without reading about 'social' anymore.
People watch teen mom for 'social' reasons, or 'the bachelor' for social reasons. Top chef, hells kitchen, x-files, I can keep going.
Humans are 'social' creatures by nature. Competition is human by nature. Survival of the fittest, feats of strength, preening, showing off, being knowledgeable about current events, speaking intelligently about the goings-on on the world, communication and idle chat about pop culture, thats how some people relate in their day-to-day 'shallow' interactions with others.
I can't do this whole 'social' thing anymore. Its almost getting to the point where prime numbers are offensive, because they're too unique, its not fair to the other numbers. Am I alone in this? Am I just that ignorant? Sincere question, as I'm a fairly left-leaning person highly motivated to bring the 'little guy' up and make a positive impact on humanity.
"boring" and "fun" are subjective. That you find something boring doesn't mean that it is objectively boring and that those who find it fun have deluded themselves. It just means that people have different entertainment preferences. Which is, decidedly, not news.
You are not their target audience, I'm afraid
Amazed that people still think that other wide-held opinions can't be valid because one person doesn't like it.
Some people say "computer stuff" is boring. Doesn't change the fact that there are entire huge communities (this being one) dedicated to it.
Different people have different opinions. The inability to comprehend that says more about the person making that statement than it does about the people with a wide-held opinion.
Also, as a fan of all sports, I have to say there is probably nothing more entertaining(at least to me) than the NFL Red Zone Channel. Almost no stop in the action, skip most replays, see all the big plays, often in real time. Of course playing fantasy football plays a big part in that.
Hockey is a great game to watch as well with pretty constant shots and action.
Lots of people I know don't understand how I like hockey or soccer. Some can't stand football. Some like watching sports I find boring, but I don't begrudge them or declare that a sport I find boring must be boring to everyone in the world and they're all somehow brainwashed or confused.
When I played in high school, our soccer league had unlimited substitutions, and, even though the skill level was pretty low, the games were more entertaining to watch than professional soccer, because people were actually trying. You start dogging it, and you'd get the hook.
Yeah, but it's the same level of action in a single NFL play spread over an entire match.
There are constant one on one matchups of a dribbler trying to beat an attacker, or clever link up passes, or long balls contested by attackers and defenders, or, yes, shots on goal.
A fair number of NFL plays are just running up the middle for 1 or 2 yards gain.
So I really fail to see your point.
Football is boring too really.
I do not know a lot about American football but I recall hearing or reading somewhere that the breaks in play make it a more popular spectator sport. As it allows for discussion and analysis of the prior event in a way more freeflowing sports do not.
I agree! Why spend time on something that I have no effect on the outcome of? That's why I prefer gaming (especially online, against real other people). (Some people think online gaming is boring. But the fact that I do not understand how someone could possibly think that, is not an argument against their opinion.)
> the action flows pretty constantly
Ah, yes, those gripping 2 hour matchups ending in a score of... 2-1. :P
> Pittsburgh
I like Pittsburgh! I have a couple of good friends who live there.
(And I do love the organization and what it means to the city, just finding it harder to actually enjoy the games as much as I used to.)