Super Bust

Let me start by saying that I love the Super Bowl as much as the next guy. There is nothing like seeing nothing but football on ESPN for two weeks. Granted, I get tired of hearing about things like Tony Romo’s girl friend or Janet Jacksons nipple, but at least it isn’t irrelevant January baseball news or a story about Tiger Woods troubles. I love sitting around with the boys with too much beer and not enough chips. I enjoy talking crap about the teams and playing it out on the latest Madden. I have a great talking about the commercial during breaks, and telling stories about how my team is going to be there next year. However, as far as the game is concerned, I have to say that I think it is the most over rated sporting event in the world. I know this sounds blasphemous to my fellow football fanatics, but here is why.

First, it is a one game series. This is the only major sport (non individual), besides soccer that does have a multiple games series to decide the championship (no offense NASCAR fans). Now I know that is part of why we all love the game. The whole any given Sunday cliché. And yes, I know, it doesn’t seem feasible to have a multiple game championship. But let’s be honest. There is no way the New Your Giants win that game (Super Bowl 42) 2 times out 20, let alone 3. Any given Sunday is great during a 16 game season to see who gets into the playoffs. That is more than enough time to prove your worthiness, but to decide a champion that way is a discredit to the game. We have all seen it before, one bad call or just a single bad performance and that’s it. I know that’s part of the game, but tell me you wouldn’t have love to see Arizona last year or Tennessee in 2000 get another shot at it? My argument is not that this is a possible scenario or that the NFL should even consider it, but just that a champions can even have a bad day or unbelievable circumstances. Look at this year’s NCAA Football National championship. Who wouldn’t want to see what Texas could have done with Colt McCoy in there?

Second, is the two week break between the AFC NFC Champ games and the Super Bowl. Two weeks is unnecessary, and simply a marketing strategy for the National Football League to make more money. Fine, I know it is a huge event, and that accommodations and preparations has to be done, but they have been preparing all year for this. You give teams two weeks off. Distract them from the task at hand with; travel, media conferences, hype, public relations responsibilities, and the list goes on, and then ask them to be ready to play the most important game of their careers. This is an enormous disservice to the fans, coaches and the players.

This leads me to my third point. GET RID OF THE HALF HOUR HALF TIME SHOW!!! I mean who watches it any way. This may not be the most scientific study ever done, but I have asked everyone I have talk to in the last couple days who watches the half time show, and two people out of at least 50 said yes? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t turn the TV because I want to see the commercial, but I would be happier with 30 minutes of hilarious advertisement. That is one way for the NFL to recoup some of the losses from shortening the time between the AFC NFC champ games and the Super Bowl to one week. The ads were down to a mere 3 million dollars for 30 seconds this year. That is 180 million dollars total for half time. Not to mention the savings from hiring some old white guys to sing songs no one knows? Not to mention the physical problems for the players. 15 minute half times were adopted because it was determined to be the peak amount of cooling between periods by physicians for extreme physical activity. And article on the peak performance website addresses this particular issue. (http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/half-time-sport-should-you-warm-or-cool-down-41287)

My fourth point speaks to the way in which teams are assembled in the National Football League. Due to the extreme shortness of the season (16 games) compared to other sports; baseball, basketball and hockey, each game has significantly more impact on a season outcome proportionate to the number of games played. What does this matter you ask? The NFL schedule is set up so that you play each team in your division twice a season. You also play at least one team from each other division (North, South, East, West) in your conference (AFC or NFC). This limits you to play only 4 teams (one entire division) in the other conference. So what does this all mean? 38% of your games are inter-divisional and 75% of your games are played in your Conference. Franchises are forces to draft and acquire (Free agents and trading) players who fit the dynamic of their division first and their conference second. You can’t win a championship without winning your conference, and you can’t win your conference without making the playoffs, and you can’t make the playoffs without being very successful in your division (2-4 Philadelphia Eagles of 2008). In fact, only 4 teams I the last 20 seasons have had less than a .500 record in their division and made the playoffs (http://www.nfl.com/standings). That is 4 out of 120 or about 3%. You just can’t develop a team to compete on a league wide scale. You have to focus on your division to even have a shot to make the playoffs. And making the playoffs is usually the difference between a good and bad seasons, a job or unemployment. You see teams do this all the time. The AFC West is a good example of this trend. Since San Diego had so much success running the 3-4 defense and getting better at quarterback pressure, each team (Kansas City, Oakland, and Denver) have all fallen in line. You can see the how it has the effected their draft over the last few years with KC drafting big meaty 3-4 D linemen and Oakland getting a more mobile quarterback. Maybe these seem unrelated, but go check out your team for yourself. You will see the connection between division, style of play, and player and coach pick ups. How does this relate to the Super Bowl? Teams across conference divides just aren’t built to play each other.

These are just a few reasons why I can’t put much weight on the Super Bowl. Yeah, its fun. I love it as much as the next guy, but to me, it doesn’t tell me who the best team is or who is deserving of the championship. Sorry to burst your bubble.

By: Matthew S. Walden