BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) LACK OF STARS
The superstar old guys are dropping off as is the short term evolution of sports. Favre is gone… finally. Randy Moss is done. It goes on and on. The problem is that there isn’t many new superstars to step in and take their place. I’m sure there will be people to step up in a big way over the next few years, but right now it’s pretty bleak.
(THREE) PADDED RULES
The rules favor the players not the entertainment value. I used to love hearing the sounds of the cracking, the hits, and carnage. A good tackle was as fun to see as a hail mary into the end zone. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, but where does it end? Can a quarterback even be touched now? This would be like a boxer being forced to wear softer gloves. Getting hurt is part of football and the risk a football player takes in exchange for more money than what a teacher, a cop, or a fireman makes in a decade.
(TWO) CRYBABIES
The strike was a joke. We couldn’t get 18 games? Does the extra padding, softer rules, and the most advanced technology ever not do the trick? The players make A LOT of money, most of them in the millions. Two extra weeks of “doing what you love” should be a pleasure not a dispute. Do you know how much money the cities that host these games would make with extra games? How about the seasonal concession workers? Yeah, the owners shouldn’t get ALL that money, but shut up and play.
(ONE) BETTER OPTIONS
There’s a lot more options these days. Baseball season is still going on and the NBA should be starting up within the next month or two. There’s also MMA, Soccer, Golf, Rugby, and Poker(that’s a sport now, right?). I used to love the NFL. I’m sure I’ll end up watching my share of NFL related programming this season, but I’m not excited. I’m more excited for the Sunday night and Monday night television programming. TV is currently in a “golden age”. There is plenty of awesome stuff to watch. Breaking Bad has some time left, Dexter is starting soon, and I don’t want to forget about Boardwalk Empire. And then we have the WWE on Monday nights. WWE is verging on being “must see TV” again and is at the least interesting again. This does leave Sunday mornings. I’m not a religion follower, but how many sitcoms husbands need to sneak radios into church to tell us this is a bad idea? Still, this leaves Sunday morning. If the NFL ONLY had games on at early Sunday slot and no other day then I’m okay with it. Otherwise, save your fantasy football money for cable…
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