ADSactly Sports - A sport fans passion: How I became hooked on the NFL
ADSactly Sports: A sport fans passion: How I became hooked on the NFL.
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Can you remember that moment? That moment when you became a fan? That moment when you saw something that captivated you so much that you were hooked right away. That moment happened for me on Sunday January 11, 1987. I had just gotten my first Television for my bedroom. It was a Christmas present hand me down from my parents. I had just gotten it set up in my room and the cable was hooked up on January 10th. The following day is when I watched the first football game I ever witnessed. It was at that moment that I became a die-hard fan of the NFL and the game of football.
The game was the AFC Championship game between the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos. John Elway, the Broncos quarterback, led his team to an epic come from behind victory. He led his team on a miraculous 98-yard drive in the final minutes to tie the game and then stole a victory from the jaws of defeat in overtime. This comeback would go down in history as “The Drive” and it would also be the beginning of my love of the Denver Broncos and football.
What got me thinking about this moment was when I was asked recently, why I was such a big fan of the NFL. I was quickly able to start talking about all the little intricacies of the game and the action. I went on about the excitement of big moments like that first one I experienced. I talked about the athleticism of the players and the spectacular plays that are made on the field. Then I started to talk about things like training camp, and the draft and realized that football had become so much more than a game for me. It was bigger than just Sunday Football games. How did this happen? How had football become such an important part of who I am and occupy so much of my entertainment time? I thought I had an idea what the answer was but decided take a closer look at what can only be described as “The NFL Monster”.
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There are a lot of really popular sports out there and I am a big fan of many of them. I know that you are reading this post right now and thinking that the sport you love is so much better than football. I am in no way writing this to put American Football above any of these sports. In fact, American football is actually ranked significantly behind several other sports when it comes to recognizing people’s favourite sports in the world. It ranks behind hockey, baseball, basketball, tennis and as you all have guessed already, the world’s most popular sports football (soccer). I will be discussing the “world’s” game in an upcoming post.
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However, American football has taken a stranglehold on the crown of most popular sport in North America. Many people would actually tell you that it has even ripped away the title of “America’s” game from baseball (now ranked #2) in popularity behind football. Baseball has been experiencing a decrease in popularity for a variety of reasons that I will save for another time. When you look closely at the numbers, most sports are fairly stagnant of show slight increases in popularity in recent years while NFL football seems to get more popular all the time. The NFL has even started playing games in Europe in recent years.
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So what has made football the sports phenomenon that it has become? How has the NFL become bigger than the game? The NFL has become a spectacle, unlike any other sport. Not only has it developed a huge group of core fans, they have also been able to capture the attention of the casual sports fan. Nothing the NFL does is on a small scale. Big, loud and in your face best describes the powerhouse that is the NFL.
The NFL is an advertising and promotional powerhouse. Ten years ago, that would’ve meant that it dominated television ad revenue, which is still true today, but in the promotional landscape of 2017, being a bonafide heavy-hitter means having a commanding presence on social media, too.
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The NFL is everywhere and fans are eating it up as advertisers pour out billions of dollars to fill the NFL’s cup.
I could sit here and tell you all about how the sport of football is amazing and how the game is the best to watch but it is so much more than that. These are some of the reasons, beyond the game itself, that I believe that the NFL has been able to take such a tight control of the sports entertainment market.
The Season
Professional sports all have dedicated seasons and the NFL is no different. However, the NFL has been able to make it so that each and every game has so much significance. The NFL season is only 16 games long. This makes each and every game matter. Losing 5 or 6 games can be the difference between making the playoffs and a season lost. In comparison, NHL teams play an 82 games season that spans over 7 months and the MLB season is 162 games long. It is hard for all these games to have the importance that each game does in the NFL.
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The 16 game season is spread out over 17 weeks. Each team only plays one game per week with one bye week (a break week). The majority of games are played on Sunday meaning that fans can enjoy an entire day dedicated to their favourite sport. Fans are able to spend the entire day completely engrossed in football. It begins early in the morning with the pre-game analysis of all the games. You can find these on several different channels. The games have been split up throughout the day. As one set of games ends, another begins. The reason for this is to accommodate different time zones but it has created an endless display of games for people to watch. This is topped off by the big post games shows all over T.V and then the Sunday night “Prime Time” game.
The genius of having games played only once a week is that fans have to wait. They spend their week looking forward to the next game. With most sports, you can catch a game 3-4 times a week so missing a game is not a big deal. With only one game per week, it creates a feeling of necessity for fans to watch. Then there is “Monday Night Football”. The NFL really hit a home run when they decided to save one featured matchup for a special night and put in on television during prime time.
Monday Night Football was so successful because it turned reporting sports into entertainment during primetime. To the addition of Monday night football during primetime hours, brought a whole new audience to sports and became entertainment to all instead of only targeting sports fans
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Monday night became an “event” more than a game. From the renowned “Monday Night Football” song by Hank Williams Jr to the big game moments, people felt like they had to watch. This has started to change since ESPN purchased the right to the game but Monday Night Football is still a big draw.
The Spectacle (Bigger is Better)
Everything the NFL does now is on a massive scale. The draft last week is a great example of this. The NFL draft was held in Dallas and was a larger than life production usually reserved for the Oscars or Grammys. The entire thing was televised on the NFL network and at a production level that is second to none. The potential draftees were entered the event “red carpet” style. They and their families were dressed in the finest designer clothes and were interviewed on their way in. Fans are on the edge of their seats as they await their teams picks. The NFL draft is jazzed up like no other league.
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The hype starts even before the draft with the NFL combine. This is a three day event where all the potential draft eligible players come to showcase their skills for all the world to see. Millions of fans tune in to see who is the top prospects are and hear analysis and interviews. Training camp and preseason have yet to start and the fans are already getting excited. All this hype around offseason events makes it feel like the season never really ends. There is always something coming up next for fans to look forward to. I haven't even mentioned free agency time.
Going to a game is not just going to a game. It is an entire experience. Football games are famous for the party that happens before the game. Tailgate parties have long been part of the true NFL experience. Showing up at the games hours before and having cookouts and mingling with other fans creates an atmosphere of comradery. Once in the stadiums, you are treated to entertainment from all directions as teams keep you engaged at all times. If the game is not playing then there is something to see and admire.
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The spectacle is highlighted by the Super Bowl. Consider the way I described the NFL draft and just imagine how big and bright the NFL championship game is. From the pregame party, the fireworks, the fighter jet flyover and the extraordinary halftime show, the Super Bowl is an event not to be missed. Even non football fans are drawn to the Super Bowl. Some watch for the halftime concert, some watch for the amazing commercials which have become a water cooler talking point and then there is the game. Super Bowl parties are common practice and fan or not, most people have attended at least one.
Fantasy Football and Gambling
The NFL is by far the most popular sport for people to bet on. You can bet on almost anything when it comes to football games and people do.
With an estimated $95 billion expected to be bet -- mostly illegally -- on NFL and college football this season, research shows that a legal sports betting market in the United States would be the largest in the world and could potentially generate as much annual revenue as the NFL itself.
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The sheer dollar amount gambled on NFL betting is staggering. There are a plethora of ways to “place” your bet. The birth of online wagering has made it extremely easy for people to make bets and gamble on their favourite sports. When people have money on the line they are more engaged in the games. This also translates to, if there are games to bet on then people will follow the sport. You don’t need to be a fan to place a bet and cheer for an outcome. A whole post could be dedicated to the different bets and ways to gamble on football.
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Fantasy sports has evolved into a massive industry over the years. Fantasy sports is the fans opportunity to draft a team of players and compete against other people as if they were the owners of a team themselves. This brings fans to a deep statistical level of football as they are now watching every game to see how their fantasy players are doing. Every yard and touchdown can be the difference between winning and losing. You can trade players and choose your lineup each week just like a real GM or coach would do. I am personally a huge fantasy football junkie. It takes the game to a whole new level of excitement for me. Fantasy football is also a big money business as the majority of fantasy leagues involve wagering an amount and the winner taking home the cash. Fantasy football has also made things like the combine and the draft more interesting as people are now looking at new players that they could potentially snag in their fantasy draft in the upcoming year.
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The NFL is here to stay and becomes bigger and more dominant all the time. Other sports are already starting to make changes to try to compete with the NFL in an attempt to eat into some of the market share it holds. Whether you are a fan or not you have certainly heard of the NFL and are likely aware of its status in the sports world in North America. American football still has a massive mountain to climb if it ever hopes to compete with soccer worldwide but they are definitely giving it a try and with hopes to expand to Europe in the future it will be interesting to see how the landscape changes. With the grandiose way the NFL does things they are creating new moments for people all the time. My moment way back in 1987 has brought me a long way.
What is your favourite sport? Are you an NFL fan? Was there a moment when you were captivated by a sport or team? I’d love to hear about what sports you are passionate about and why.
Authored by: @broncofan99
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Great post @broncofan99
Elway was a great player. The Bronco's have had some great teams over the years. The 98 Superbowl was one I remember well. :( Terrell Davis!
I remember my moment when the packers were solidified as my team. It was 93 and I was visiting my girlfriend in Maryland. I watched my first full game on American TV, Packers @ Lions and Brett Favre was absolutely killing it. Slinging the ball all over the field and eluding the pass rush. I was hooked and it's also why there is a 4 in my user name.
Even though I'm British I have a passion and an affinity for Green Bay and it's remained with me to this day. Pre 93 you couldn't really watch live games in the UK. Now you can pretty much choose your game. Game pass makes it easier too. One thing that the Premier League and Sky TV tried to emulate was Monday Night Football but it has never taken off.
I love the combine and the draft. I follow it and try my hand at predicting but I'm not much good. Are you happy with Bradley Chubb? He looks a very good player.
I really enjoyed your post and reminiscing about the Favre days.
Cheers, Gaz.
Amazing story and fantastic name!! Farve inspired many a GreenBay fan I am sure. I have always enjoyed watching the Packers play. Especially since the arrival of Rodgers. That Broncos vs Packers Super Bowl was great. The Broncos have not had a running back like Davis since. Portis was ok but not the same. Thanks for the great comment.
How lucky were we to have a those injury free years with Favre and then to have a guy take over the mantle and continue the elite QB play in Rodgers. I fear the time when the Pack do not have an elite QB. I just doesn't bear thinking about.
The Broncos Packers Superbowl was a great game. The Pack probably had a better team than the previous year but we couldn't stop you guys. I remember thinking the Broncos like to run up the middle with Davis and we have big Gilbert Brown and nobody runs at him!! Well you did a number on old Gilb and we didn't have an answer, probably because it had not happened before. A shout out to Steve Atwater as well because he was causing havoc with our offense. He knocked someone out if I remember rightly.
Well, yeah. The NFL is pretty good after the World Series is over :)
For me, it's a pretty easy answer. Football is the PERFECT fit for TV. The intense action with plenty of room for commercial breaks that don't take away from the action. I mean it's perfect. I almost hate to admit, but I'd rather watch Football on TV than live.
Baseball, on the other hand needs to be watched live. You cannot be a casual fan of baseball by watching TV, just doesn't work.
I'm certainly not going to mention your guy by name because I've hated him a lot longer than you have liked him. There's a reason for that. Goes back to college and the ass whippings and mouth he put on the Cougs every year. You see, real football is played on SATURDAY.
Another truly great article. Very well written and thought out, per normal. I look forward to your article about futbol. I've gotten to be much more of a fan over the years.
Thanks for a great read.
Thanks for the kind words and sorry Elway caused you so much grief. As you know, he was more than just a great football player. He was also drafted the the majors. I think your made for TV statement is so true!! Great comment and as I always say, You go your way... I’ll go ELWAY!
Nice comeback at the beginning. I definitely love these kind of comebacks where team behind ties in the last minute and then even wins the entire game. You can’t replace these moment especially when it’s the team you are a die heart fan of. I love soccer, ice hockey... I have a special moment that I remember from each one. In ice hockey it was when my team played the deciding playoff game. They were loosing 4:1, I felt like it all felt apart, it’s over. Then the last few minutes came. My team scored two goals within a few minutes and then the opponent’s goalie made an unbelievable mistake (the puck bounced off of his helmet right to the net) we tied the game up. The stadium went crazy, I’d never felt like this before, there were people crying at some point. In overtime my team eventually won, just like yours between Cleveland and Denver. Except I was actually there in the stadium. In soccer there is also many of the moments and I can’t wait for another world championship.
I agree with you. Each game is unique just because there is only few of them each season. I think one of the reason these games are played once a week is the players need to recover, they need to rest to be 100% fit for upcoming game. Than there are playoff games, which is even more exciting and than there is this top of all tops “the Super Bowl”...
That must have been an epic feeling to be there for that game! Football is brutal on the body and players need all the rest they can get. Thanks for the great comment!!!
I understand Americans' love for football. It's incredibly amazing.
But like many Africans, and particularly Nigerians, my love is for a different sport; soccer (we call it football, not the American kind of football). When I write football, I mean soccer.
During break periods back in school, after school, on weekends, in fact, at an opportune time, football kept us busy. We would makeshift goalposts anywhere on the street. I would rather play football than eat.
We had this modified format we called "monkey post". We will play until Mama called.
When did I become a football fan?
I think it was 1993 during the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia which Nigerian won. It was amazing. Then the exploits of the Super Eagles at USA 1994! Aha.
Soccer (football) and I have in deed come a long way.
There is a passion for football (soccer) around the world that is second to none. Thank you for sharing your moment of connection to the sport.
Although this sport is "far" from the place where I live, but I know him well. In my youth I was addicted to them. We had a small courtyard team and we often were going to play American football. This game enticed us with a mixture of rigidity and intelligence. Yes, it is in American football that these qualities are very important. You have to build a strategy and it is a key step to victory. But at the same time you must be cruel (physically strong and strong) in relation to your rivals. Many physical burdens such as speed, reaction and strength are important here.
In addition, at that time I often played in a virtual version of American football. Even now I remember that there was a lot of cool soundtrack. But the main thing is a dynamic game. It is in the virtual game and the real you begin to realize the importance of strategy. In addition, it is necessary that every player was in his place. It is interesting.
As far as I know this game collects a lot of fans. It's great to be a part of this big movement. It's great to be on the rostrum and worry about your favorite team. I like this game! Thanks for the interesting post
I love that you mentioned the intelligence side of football. Football is like a game of chess and there is so much thinking and planning that go into every single play. Great comment!
Omg man, you said it all! I really enjoyed the read. I saw The Drive on YT and I just can imagine how it was for you. Great drive and that bullet pass for TD :O :O
I became NFL fan 5 years ago. I went to practice without ever watching the nfl game and all I knew about this sport is that there is a QB and he throws the ball. That's all :D I didn't know to whom he is throwing that ball and why. I had a luck that my first day was during the camp that we have every summer, where 5-6-7 US coaches come and teach us a bit about this beautiful game. Every year those 4 days of camp are signal of the start of our tackle preseason. AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT NOW!!!!!
The moment I really really fell in love forever in this sport is probably my 2nd game. It was finals of some small tournament and we were playing for the first time in history in our town. I scored the only TD we scored. My route was Slant and the ball was thrown a bit in front of me so I needed to tip the ball with one hand so it just ends in my other hand, and I just ran straight for TD. I also had 2 more Slant catches and one wheel route where I jumped between CB and SS and cought the ball. I think I still got that on YT somewhere, need to find it now :D :D ANYWAY I could talk day and night now haha You know how it is...
Great post as usual @broncofan99 and @adsactly, my hat is down ;)
Playing the game is so much fun. I Played a little in high school and some touch as an adult. I'm glad to hear how much you are enjoying playing WR. Great comment. Even tough you are a raiders fan. Lol
hahaha mr bronco fan!! :D WR was 5 years ago, now I'm FS and RB :D :D Crazy football here in Croatia :D
Lifelong Steelers fan. Football is more than just a sport around here, it's a way of life.
interesting
The strange reality .. A good story
Thanks for sharing..
Sometimes I wish that I could get into sports... It would give me more to talk about with my peers. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one.
Sports does make good water cooler banter.
sometimes i like i m the only one
Lol.... I'm not surprised; i mean people always get hooked on the NFL; my Dad does, my siblings does, everyone i know does...... Now here you go
lol i m also surprised
It is easier to keep that passion when you have people close to you that share the same passion as well.
I bet it's much easier that way