I don't like the Cowboys, but I'll give them this: I do really like watching them. I don't know if I'd classify him as "good," but he sure does make every game entertaining:
As a diehard football fan, I REFUSE to watch live games unless it's the playoffs or the Super Bowl. I do shell out money every year for NFL Sunday Ticket which edits out al of the fluff from every game and condenses it down to about 25-30 minutes, which is actual plays. Nothing between plays, no commercial breaks, nada.
This year I am trying out the new NFL Game Rewind offering because it offers "Coaches Tape" This is the tape that the teams use to break down plays and evaluate player performance. After just one game week, it's AMAZING. The analysis I can do with that tape is.... Whoa. I should get into coaching. >_<
I don't want cable. Does the internet provide such things for a fee? I'm willing to pay a fee for certain games. If not, I could always just go to a restaurant/bar that plays the games and just bring my iPad/knitting and maybe get a meal there to watch a game.
I don't want cable. Does the internet provide such things for a fee? I'm willing to pay a fee for certain games. If not, I could always just go to a restaurant/bar that plays the games and just bring my iPad/knitting and maybe get a meal there to watch a game.
I don't know why people keep measuring the amount of "action" as to only when the ball is in play. These people must not know very much about the game, or probably only have a cursory knowledge of it.
It's a game of strategy, you are always thinking of how to refine your strategy or choose your next play. Time and yardage make up a large part of the strategy. Do we try to pass and gain quick momentum, or do we run the ball and lull the defense to sleep? Are we trying to give our defense a rest, or do we need a quick score? When do we use our timeouts? Should we go no-huddle to prevent them from adjusting their defensive scheme? Will they go for it on fourth down?
It's exciting to watch the game because you are constantly thinking of all the decisions to make. You get nervous when they ice your kicker before attempting the game winning field goal. You jump for joy when you make a first down on 4th and 1. You weep when your quarter back gets sacked because of a missed tackle.
Not only that, but there is so much action packed into a single play that you need the replays to truly grok the last play. How was the running back able to shoot through a defense that looked like a wall? How did a linebacker sack the QB?
I suppose it's more of a thinking man's sport that more people are willing to admit.
I don't want cable. Does the internet provide such things for a fee? I'm willing to pay a fee for certain games. If not, I could always just go to a restaurant/bar that plays the games and just bring my iPad/knitting and maybe get a meal there to watch a game.
If it's anything like the MLB one, they do, but black out your local team due to bullshit.
Andrew is right. Yes, it is true that if you only add up the time snap to whistle, it isn't very much time. But all that time showing replays and showing players standing around is still not commercial time. As a spectator you are using that time between plays to grok the situation. Then you can put the next play in the proper context. Then after that play you need to reevaluate.
It is true there is a lot of commercial time, but there are solutions for that. One is that there are usually two games on, and you can switch to the other game, or another sport . You can also have some other activity to do during commercials. On Sunday one of my cousins was knitting a sweater while another was checking his fantasy team.
The best answer is The Red Zone. Non-stop football, no commercials.
I don't want cable. Does the internet provide such things for a fee? I'm willing to pay a fee for certain games. If not, I could always just go to a restaurant/bar that plays the games and just bring my iPad/knitting and maybe get a meal there to watch a game.
If it's anything like the MLB one, they do, but black out your local team due to bullshit.
Football is different from baseball in this regard because it is on network television and not cable. Even when the Giants are on Monday or Thursday night football on cable, the game is broadcast on the local channel over the airwaves for free in the NY area. The only problem is if the game is not sold out, and they blackout, which is rare even for unpopular teams.
But unlike baseball, football is a national sport. There are so few games in the season, that you can actually pay attention to all the teams. Each game matters so much, you kind of want to pay attention to all of them. That's why they have RedZone and Sunday Ticket so you pay to get all the football games that are NOT local since the local one is free to anyone with an antenna.
Andrew is definitely right. I don't judge a board game by how much time I spend actually touching the pieces.
And yes, it takes me multiple replays to fully understand what everyone was doing to contribute in a crazy play. I'll often watch the several replays and STILL not be able to grasp all that was happening between the offensive and defensive linesmen.
I don't want cable. Does the internet provide such things for a fee? I'm willing to pay a fee for certain games. If not, I could always just go to a restaurant/bar that plays the games and just bring my iPad/knitting and maybe get a meal there to watch a game.
If it's anything like the MLB one, they do, but black out your local team due to bullshit.
Football is different from baseball in this regard because it is on network television and not cable. Even when the Giants are on Monday or Thursday night football on cable, the game is broadcast on the local channel over the airwaves for free in the NY area. The only problem is if the game is not sold out, and they blackout, which is rare even for unpopular teams.
But unlike baseball, football is a national sport. There are so few games in the season, that you can actually pay attention to all the teams. Each game matters so much, you kind of want to pay attention to all of them. That's why they have RedZone and Sunday Ticket so you pay to get all the football games that are NOT local since the local one is free to anyone with an antenna.
True. I didn't think to consider that.
It used to be that all baseball games were on some local channel (I know Fox had the Sox for a while). I'm pretty sure the Sox and the Boston Globe buying NESN hastened the move from broadcast to cable.
When I was young all the Mets games would be on local channel 9. They also had most baseball games during the day on weekdays. You would listen on the radio at work, or skip work and go to the stadium. Kids would go to the stadium during the day in the summer. The Mets won the '69 world series during the day while everyone was at work. That's how things like this used to happen.
In the interest of money they moved games to prime time, when people can actually watch and they can sell ads on them. Because there aren't enough time slots with baseball games every day and other prime time programming, they moved baseball to cable. It also helped that at the time most people finally had cable. Now people are dropping cable.
I don't want cable. Does the internet provide such things for a fee? I'm willing to pay a fee for certain games. If not, I could always just go to a restaurant/bar that plays the games and just bring my iPad/knitting and maybe get a meal there to watch a game.
Certain internet providers will give you ESPN 3, which you can watch online, but that's only for games on ESPN.
My Internet provider allows ESPN3. However, ESPN3 knows that I only pay for Internet, and not for cable, so it won't work. You can't get it unless you have some sort of cable package.
The iPad app is great for a first iteration (they just rolled it out about 2 days before the regular season began). I'm not sure about how it would work on an HTCP but my understanding of how those beasts function, it shouldn't be a problem.
Comments
This year I am trying out the new NFL Game Rewind offering because it offers "Coaches Tape" This is the tape that the teams use to break down plays and evaluate player performance. After just one game week, it's AMAZING. The analysis I can do with that tape is.... Whoa. I should get into coaching. >_<
It's a game of strategy, you are always thinking of how to refine your strategy or choose your next play. Time and yardage make up a large part of the strategy. Do we try to pass and gain quick momentum, or do we run the ball and lull the defense to sleep? Are we trying to give our defense a rest, or do we need a quick score? When do we use our timeouts? Should we go no-huddle to prevent them from adjusting their defensive scheme? Will they go for it on fourth down?
It's exciting to watch the game because you are constantly thinking of all the decisions to make. You get nervous when they ice your kicker before attempting the game winning field goal. You jump for joy when you make a first down on 4th and 1. You weep when your quarter back gets sacked because of a missed tackle.
Not only that, but there is so much action packed into a single play that you need the replays to truly grok the last play. How was the running back able to shoot through a defense that looked like a wall? How did a linebacker sack the QB?
I suppose it's more of a thinking man's sport that more people are willing to admit.
It is true there is a lot of commercial time, but there are solutions for that. One is that there are usually two games on, and you can switch to the other game, or another sport . You can also have some other activity to do during commercials. On Sunday one of my cousins was knitting a sweater while another was checking his fantasy team.
The best answer is The Red Zone. Non-stop football, no commercials.
http://redzonetv.nfl.com/
If you watch RedZone you'll notice how when they switch games, they always brief you on the situation, so you don't get lost.
Wait. $300. Fuck that. I'm ok with just hearing it on the radio or watching elsewhere. I may even go to my parents on Sunday and watch on their 60".
But unlike baseball, football is a national sport. There are so few games in the season, that you can actually pay attention to all the teams. Each game matters so much, you kind of want to pay attention to all of them. That's why they have RedZone and Sunday Ticket so you pay to get all the football games that are NOT local since the local one is free to anyone with an antenna.
And yes, it takes me multiple replays to fully understand what everyone was doing to contribute in a crazy play. I'll often watch the several replays and STILL not be able to grasp all that was happening between the offensive and defensive linesmen.
It used to be that all baseball games were on some local channel (I know Fox had the Sox for a while). I'm pretty sure the Sox and the Boston Globe buying NESN hastened the move from broadcast to cable.
In the interest of money they moved games to prime time, when people can actually watch and they can sell ads on them. Because there aren't enough time slots with baseball games every day and other prime time programming, they moved baseball to cable. It also helped that at the time most people finally had cable. Now people are dropping cable.
The iPad app is great for a first iteration (they just rolled it out about 2 days before the regular season began). I'm not sure about how it would work on an HTCP but my understanding of how those beasts function, it shouldn't be a problem.
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