Have You Heard of This Thing Called "The Superbowl"?

As far as sports go, football is the ultimate game of strategy, it's like a real life game of chess (Which some people also see as a boring waste of time). A good game is like seeing who will win in a fight between the unmovable object and the unstoppable force. Some complain that there is less action in football, but that also means that every play is more important. There may be more passes in soccer, the ball may be constantly moving, but they generally have less impact than any given 3rd down play in football. It's the same reason why a playoff game is more important than a playoff series. If you lose you are out, you don't have 7 games like some other sports.

Sports also bring people together. I'll talk about how I hate cowboys and their fans all day, but I almost always become friends with their fans because of our friendly # talk. No one really takes it personal, the "hate" is more superficial. There is a girl I'm talking to now who I would have probably never talked to if she wasn't a fan of a team I hate. I can be a bit quiet at times, and I'm no ladies man but my uncontrollable urge to let her know her team sucked ignited a spark, and we've had a great connection since.

There is nothing wrong with getting together with like minded people and unwinding for a bit. The stereotype of sports fans in mindless sheep who just get together and scream, but those stadiums are packed with people from all different backgrounds. There are doctors, soldiers, lawyers, hippies, grandmothers, rockers, computer programmers etc... Like any other stereotype it's a stupid generalization. I'd hate to see what our society looks like with out people taking time to unwind on these pointless unimportant events. taking one night out of the week to scream and have fun is hardly the biggest problem our society has.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

I am inclined to disagree, given how much of the world is computerized. Some people don't realize exactly how much of our daily lives is only possible because someone was sitting at a computer monitor somewhere.

So, here's what I meant by my comment.

I certainly don't underestimate technology... It is my living.

What I was trying to say, albeit maybe not so well, was that the NFL is entertainment for the masses. There is no reason NFL players shouldn't make the salaries they are making... especially considering the danger and risk they put themselves in every week during the season. The better they are, the more they should make. It's a very limited market and the average career length is 6 years or so.

People who program computers can sustain (almost) any sort of injury without ending their career... and the good one's make lots and lots of money too.

reply to post by Zarniwoop


And our soldiers? Shouldn't they be making at least as much as our football players?

reply to post by AfterInfinity


No... Not unless you want your taxes to increase by 1 million percent.

But they have my greatest respect, nonetheless.

reply to post by HyphenSt1


People watch the SB because they're fans of one of the teams playing, or, they like the commercials (?), or they have nothing else to do. Perosnally I did not watch. My team, (the only REAL team in existance, THE Oakland Raiders), was once again the victim of the league-wide conspiracy that keeps then down....for 13 years now. I wonder why no one on this site ever mentions THAT? Huh? Talk about False Flag!


GO Raiders !!!

reply to post by TownCryer


Well the conspiracy against the raiders is that they won't hire people that know how to draft haha. One of these years something will happen for them, get some crazy draft sleeper by accident or something.

stumason
I feel your pain dude... I am currently sat at work, on a Sunday night in the UK and one moron has insisted we watch the Superbowl, so for the past 4 hours it's been on (including the tedious pre-match warm up) and we still have god knows how long to go. It's such a dull game...

Then there is the half-time show.. Is that just to make sure everyone is awake?

Oh, the claim it is the worlds "biggest sporting event"... Even here in the UK they have been saying this on the TV... Not heard of the FIFA World Cup, or the UEFA Champions League, or the EPL, or the Olympics then?

And finally (I could go on for many pages), why is there the need to stop every 2 minutes and why do you need a defensive and offensive line up? Can your players not comprehend defending and attacking at the same time?

mini-rant over - awaiting flames from "football" fans (despite the fact it is primarily played with the hands...)

edit on 2/2/14 by stumason because: (no reason given)

It is funny the more simple-minded people of the world enjoying a ball being kicked around with no actual intent to do much of anything for nearly the entire time in MOST "football-soccer". passing the ball back to the goalkeeper cause they are afraid, watching a game where 80% of the players are walking around, watching whilst a fear of actually trying to score takes place...

Even world cup soccer is generally the most boring of the major sports on any analytical level, around the level of baseball.

It just is, I have played, it , as well as hockey, football, basketball, tennis... the point of this thread is about the craziness of the fanaticism.


I feel the same way this person says, about : Facebook, Twitter, Music, Movies, News, Idol, Reality Shows...

Point is, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE... people who bitch about it are likely falling prey to some other form of things that have nothing to do with them, do not help them, and make sure society stays in ever-lasting state of controlled-ness.

The thing is, Football is just on a somewhat higher level than most of them.

You just bitch about this particular one cause you do not have the ability to realize ALL OF IT is garbage in the nutshell you are both posing towards this one game.

Got to say there's one thing most seem unable to understand, certainly most of our colonial cousins - as Stu said earlier, its banter.

Banter and craic are vital ingredients of British football and sport in general.
Those from the antipodes enjoy it as well.....but it seems to go straight over the head of many others.

Ripping the piss out of ourselves and each other is an integral part of who we are and in no other arena is this more evident than in sport.

Zarniwoop
reply to post by AfterInfinity

 

No... Not unless you want your taxes to increase by 1 million percent.

But they have my greatest respect, nonetheless.

Then why are our football players being paid so much more than our soldiers? Is it so much more dangerous or critical to run across a lush grassy field with a pigskin under your arm and a dozen men in tights chasing you? This is the point I'm trying to make here. All told, it's the gladiators all over again. It's basically the equivalent of hunting down a deer as one big massive pack of Neanderthals.

But whatever. I've said my piece, and it's getting repetitive now. I'm done with the Superbowl for this year. Time to move on.

American football fans are not that mad compared to European Football fans...

I'm guessing that most of the members on ATS weren't the greatest athletes and were likely one of the last kids picked at team sports growing up,

reply to post by AfterInfinity


Because football players make more money for people then soldiers do. Simple as that, entertainment pays and military doesn't. Every one that signed up for both professions knew that. Doesn't make it right by any means but that's the way it is. What you are asking is for either a tax hike, since taxes pay military. Or a % of all private companies earnings to go to the gov to increase pay to the soldiers. Not sure which one would be easier to pass.

This is all I have to say about the Super Bowl :

Truther crashes SB

reply to post by buster2010


The NFL is trying to appeal to the youth.

reply to post by stumason


Its called football because all ball sports that weren't played on horseback were called football. Football is a general umbrella term for them all. The full name is gridiron football.

reply to post by Sremmos80


Its supply and demand. Its that simple.

reply to post by TownCryer


NIIIINERS

I dont have a whole lot of love for the game itself, but theres a couple reasons I like watching it.

1. It lets me connect with people who generally I would have very little in common with otherwise.
2. The overtly gay innuendo of the technical term of the games (tight end anyone?) cracks me up and the commentators are pretty balls out when they talk about it on the game. This in direct contrast with the uber-hetero all american stereotype of football fans cracks me up, much like biggots that still listen to Queen.
3. There are some wacky shenanigans that go on in those games, a lot of football players take ballet classes and pull of some pretty impressive moves.

As far as the Seattle fandom goes....yeah I live up here and I see it around. This is our first win so people are jacked, but fans of any sports team in Seattle tend to be d*cks about it. I was watching a game between the Thunderbirds and The Chiefs (Junior hockey or something, idk I'm not a sports guy) and the seattle fans were acting like complete children when they got creamed in that game.

Idk man, I understand your objections to these modern day gladiator antics, but the players get paid good money and its their choice, anyone taking a job with hazards involved oughtta know what they're getting into and the pay typically more than compensates so whatever, it's their life. It doesn't hurt to go outside yourself a little and participate in the things people at large are interested in, a little more unity isn't a bad thing.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

Time to move on.

Go 'Hawks!

TownCryer
reply to post by HyphenSt1

 

People watch the SB because they're fans of one of the teams playing, or, they like the commercials (?), or they have nothing else to do. Perosnally I did not watch. My team, (the only REAL team in existance, THE Oakland Raiders), was once again the victim of the league-wide conspiracy that keeps then down....for 13 years now. I wonder why no one on this site ever mentions THAT? Huh? Talk about False Flag!


GO Raiders !!!

Raiders fans have been claiming that since the Immaculate reception.