Apparently the NFL isn't done trying to turn the draft into some spectacle second only to the Super Bowl. Not only have they turned it into a primetime affair, but now they're trying to make the second day of the draft an exciting event as well by inviting popular college prospects who aren't expected to go in the first round to sit around for the second day of the draft waiting to be picked.
I get the whole angle that this one pick can change your team's fortune--even though that one pick costs a fortune and could tie up a sizable portion of your salary cap preventing you from fielding a competitive team. And the whole guessing game aspect of who's going to pick who is fun for fans. But in the end, the event consists of fifteen minutes of talking and then a man coming to a podium and saying a name. Not too exciting is it.
So now they're planning on trying to bank on the starpower of elite college players, whose game's might not translate well into the pro's (see Tebow, Tim), to try and turn the rest of the draft into a television event worth watching. But that's not what the draft is about. The draft is about fans hoping their team gets better, not to see where certain college players go. Because if they're not going to have an impact, the fans who actually watch this event, won't care.
-- Steve Creswick
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Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Monday, March 1, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
NBA All-Star Weekend
Comparing the major sports in this country is a difficult task that can never really be done definitively, because they all bring different enjoyable aspects.
For instance, Major League Baseball has the single hardest act in sports (hitting a baseball), an underlying mental match-up between pitcher and hitter, and also between manager and manager, that the common fan might not know about, or realize the severity of, and it is the only sport where time can not run out on you. You will always have a chance to come back until you give up that very last out.
The National Football League has unparalleled parity, whether for good or ill, jaw-dropping hits, and an emphasis on teamwork, as every single player in the field has an impact, whether directly or indirectly.
The National Basketball Association has constant scoring, unlimited highlight plays, and as I mentioned in my Olympics post, one of the most important facets of American Sports, star athletes. This last bit being the one area where the NBA far-and-away beats both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. That's not to say it is a better sport, just that it's all-star game offers something the other Big Two cannot.
The Pro-Bowl has long been a joke, and while Baseball does have all of its well-recognized stars in attendance, the sport can be so fickle based on so many aspects that they don't always excel during the all-star exhibition, not to mention the aspect mentioned before (about the clock never running out) can make the event go too long, and often does.
But the NBA has an excellent showcase of all their talent, where everyone has a chance to put up points and make a few highlight plays. Not to mention contests like the Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest that can wow the audiences, and leave them talking about it the next week, further exposing their star talent. (The Home Run Derby did that same for Josh Hamilton, though it is rarely an exciting event.)
So since the NBA has a head-start when it comes to promoting their best players, what can other sports do to catch up?
MLB could have better talent in the Home Run Derby which might make things more interesting, and perhaps add some sort of fielding competition. But when it comes to the exhibition game the old mantra that good pitching beats good hitting is often proven true, so there is an unfixable fundamental flaw right there that might prevent an overly exciting exhibition.
The NFL has a harder time because it is such a physical game that the toll taken on the bodies of its best athletes prevents them from wanting to take part in the unneccesary punishment. And part of the appeal was that they at least got a week vacation in Hawaii out of the deal, but now with the game moved to the Super Bowl city, it is not nearly as appealing for the players. Maybe if they made it a flag football game, so people weren't afraid of injury? No, people like to see hitting too much. They would never go for that watered-down a version of the sport. I guess there's really nothing they can do.
Maybe the NBA's ability to host a compelling all-star weekend is just another innate aspect that differentiates it from the other two major American sports.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
For instance, Major League Baseball has the single hardest act in sports (hitting a baseball), an underlying mental match-up between pitcher and hitter, and also between manager and manager, that the common fan might not know about, or realize the severity of, and it is the only sport where time can not run out on you. You will always have a chance to come back until you give up that very last out.
The National Football League has unparalleled parity, whether for good or ill, jaw-dropping hits, and an emphasis on teamwork, as every single player in the field has an impact, whether directly or indirectly.
The National Basketball Association has constant scoring, unlimited highlight plays, and as I mentioned in my Olympics post, one of the most important facets of American Sports, star athletes. This last bit being the one area where the NBA far-and-away beats both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. That's not to say it is a better sport, just that it's all-star game offers something the other Big Two cannot.
The Pro-Bowl has long been a joke, and while Baseball does have all of its well-recognized stars in attendance, the sport can be so fickle based on so many aspects that they don't always excel during the all-star exhibition, not to mention the aspect mentioned before (about the clock never running out) can make the event go too long, and often does.
But the NBA has an excellent showcase of all their talent, where everyone has a chance to put up points and make a few highlight plays. Not to mention contests like the Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest that can wow the audiences, and leave them talking about it the next week, further exposing their star talent. (The Home Run Derby did that same for Josh Hamilton, though it is rarely an exciting event.)
So since the NBA has a head-start when it comes to promoting their best players, what can other sports do to catch up?
MLB could have better talent in the Home Run Derby which might make things more interesting, and perhaps add some sort of fielding competition. But when it comes to the exhibition game the old mantra that good pitching beats good hitting is often proven true, so there is an unfixable fundamental flaw right there that might prevent an overly exciting exhibition.
The NFL has a harder time because it is such a physical game that the toll taken on the bodies of its best athletes prevents them from wanting to take part in the unneccesary punishment. And part of the appeal was that they at least got a week vacation in Hawaii out of the deal, but now with the game moved to the Super Bowl city, it is not nearly as appealing for the players. Maybe if they made it a flag football game, so people weren't afraid of injury? No, people like to see hitting too much. They would never go for that watered-down a version of the sport. I guess there's really nothing they can do.
Maybe the NBA's ability to host a compelling all-star weekend is just another innate aspect that differentiates it from the other two major American sports.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
I'm Going to Disneyworld!
I was watching Sportscenter today and saw the annual post-Super Bowl Disney advertisement of the Super Bowl MVP saying "I'm going to Disney World!" or "I'm going to Disney Land!"
It got me thinking, how exactly in the chaos of the postgame with every player mobbed by a swarm of cameramen and reporters jabbing recording devices at their jaws do they manage to organize the player saying it? What if among the hundreds of people shouting at the player, the voice of the Disney producer gets lost? What if the player simply pushes through the go celebrate with his teammates where he should be? Or what if the person refuses to do it because they want to be compensated? Are they compensated? Does Disney have a deal with the NFL where their players are contractually obligated to do the commercial, and told to be ready for it should they win the Super Bowl? Or the only question I know the answer to...Does it matter? Nope, but I was just curious how it all comes together in such a hectic environment.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
Monday, February 8, 2010
Who planned this?
Funny how when CBS has the Super Bowl, the halftime show is performed by the band whose songs are used as the theme songs for the network's most popular franchise, CSI. Talk about making the most of your programming.-- Steve Creswick
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