NFL Releases Schedule: Dumbs-down the Sport

I see the NFL released its new schedule today. That used to be a big deal for this sports fan. I was one of those football fanatics that checked out during the season, and stayed glued to the tube on some Thursdays and Saturdays, and every single Sunday and Monday for months. But now, I'm wondering what's happened to my game? I used to love the NFL. Then "stuff" started to happen. It started with TV time outs. Those inexplicable interruptions that inevitably interfere with the natural rhythm of the game. Just go watch a good high school game on a Fall Friday night to see what "natural rhythm" is all about.Then, in what I take to be an effort to cut back on human resource costs, cable-mounted robotic cameras appeared to much fanfare and self congratulation. Well, news flash: they suck. And the networks have been trading leagues and playoffs recently, so a fan never knows just whom to expect in the booth. Sure, the A-team announcers are spot-on. But the B- and C-teams are really, really bad - often consisting of tired old farts paired with young, brash and clueless know-it-alls. That frequently leads to some discernible disconnect at best, and tension at worst. Just what I want to be dealing with at game time.Recently, network game coverage has been highlighting the "human drama" and "personal sacrifice" associated with the game. Lots of fresh-faced young announcers conducting earnest interviews with players on the sidelines.  First of all, that's turning a perfectly good sport into soap opera; and second, it's kind of a hard sell with the numbers of NFL players busted of late for possession of firearms and assault. Get real. Can anyone say: "Too much drama?"So even the drama's not enough. Advertising agencies, in their great wisdom, turned all of my heroes into laughing stocks. Here's where I give the title of the post a nod. The TV commercial that really drove me from the room holding my head was the one featuring a host of HOF-bound QBs being pushed around supermarkets in shopping carts. First time I saw that I had to reach for the air sickness bag. Whose idea was it anyway to turn our sports heroes into powerless fools in the fetal position? That's so intuitive, don't you think? But it didn't stop there, and still hasn't. How about Peyton in that black wig and fake stach? What a giggle, no?As my frustration mounted, the real jock in the household introduced me to European League Soccer and world-class Rugby. That would be my eldest, adult daughter. This is a girl who used to greet me on Sunday mornings with a recitation of all the times and channels for televised NFL games; the key match-ups, and her personal picks for the day's schedule. She had a poster of Steve Young in her room. An all-conference athlete herself, she takes sports very seriously. And she's way big on soccer and rugby now. Frankly, I can see why. A total breath of fresh air. Soccer fans sing with joy, and scream in agony.

Article Author: Yo-Duh

Yo-Duh is a veteran techie and writer with roots in computer hardware, software and gaming. That's after his career in health care and education. For decades, he has labored to frame new developments and provide context. …

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