Minor things that annoy you-sports edition

[formulanone]

The NFL owners are greedy old men.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  This is why they play games in Europe, and next year, South America, so they can be shown in US mornings.  This is why they play game on Thursday, Monday, holidays, etc.

They have maxed out the people that what to watch football.  So they did a study.  Who doesn't watch a lot of football?  White women between 15-35.  So suddenly there is this "romance" between a pop singer and some player, both of which managed to make it into their 30s without marrying anyone.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  From this start we now get shots of various other girlfriends, some I'm sure real, of different players. 

And it worked, at least to my perception.  In my little group the women have put down their phones and are watching the games.

And it is all faker than wrestling.

You say this like it's some far-flung conspiracy theory. It's incredibly obvious that the league is using this relationship to print money. And I don't understand why that's a problem.

If you're suggesting that the relationship itself is fake, no it's not. Taylor is too big a celebrity for them to be able to pull that off.

It's kind of a gift to the NFL; they saw a younger generation less interested in football and maybe her presence just moves the needle a little bit more.

If there's any shred of a conspiracy, it's that Patrick Mahomes appears in seemingly every other advertisement during NFL games...but until there's five truly bad calls in a game against KC's opponents, it's honestly not worth a second thought.

[roadman65]

An afternoon drive time DJ said, in his opinion, it might be a good thing as it may attract the younger crowd into the game, especially women..

[hotdogPi]

I'm against the NFL becoming more popular. There are many other sports out there, and one sport shouldn't dominate. And of the five major team sports in the US (soccer being the fifth), football seems to be the only one not played by women, so having women gravitate toward football may be counterproductive. There's the WNBA, the very new (less than a month old) PWHL, women's soccer at both the domestic and international level, and softball is a close variant of baseball. (Make that 1 out of 7 if you include tennis and golf, which are individual rather than team sports.)

[CtrlAltDel]

The NFL owners are greedy old men.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I'm not sure that's true.

And it is all faker than wrestling.

I'm not sure that's true.

My own theory is the NFL fan base has some animosity toward Swift because she is a prominent outsider to that fan base.

It's not the entire NFL fan base.

That is true.

[kphoger]

I think the Venn diagram of people who are sick of Taylor and people who hate the Superbowl halftime is just one circle.

Each is going after the lowest common denominator of musical taste.

I just want a halftime show that doesn't:

(1)  make me feel like I need to scrub my eyes with soap afterward because of all the sex-charged outfits and dancing

(2)  feature an artist who really should be on oxygen because they're over 85 and their musical prime was during my parents' youth

[NWI_Irish96]

I think the Venn diagram of people who are sick of Taylor and people who hate the Superbowl halftime is just one circle.

Each is going after the lowest common denominator of musical taste.

I just want a halftime show that doesn't:

(1)  make me feel like I need to scrub my eyes with soap afterward because of all the sex-charged outfits and dancing

(2)  feature an artist who really should be on oxygen because they're over 85 and their musical prime was during my parents' youth

Sounds like you'd enjoy a halftime show by "Weird Al"

[roadman65]

I think the Venn diagram of people who are sick of Taylor and people who hate the Superbowl halftime is just one circle.

Each is going after the lowest common denominator of musical taste.

I just want a halftime show that doesn't:

(1)  make me feel like I need to scrub my eyes with soap afterward because of all the sex-charged outfits and dancing

(2)  feature an artist who really should be on oxygen because they're over 85 and their musical prime was during my parents' youth

I'm sure for number two, Phil Collins is out 

Anyway McCartney wasn't bad when he performed Jacksonville in the mid aughts.

[kphoger]

Sounds like you'd enjoy a halftime show by "Weird Al"

That would be the BEST!

[wanderer2575]

The NFL owners are greedy old men.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  This is why they play games in Europe, and next year, South America, so they can be shown in US mornings.  This is why they play game on Thursday, Monday, holidays, etc.

They have maxed out the people that what to watch football.  So they did a study.  Who doesn't watch a lot of football?  White women between 15-35.  So suddenly there is this "romance" between a pop singer and some player, both of which managed to make it into their 30s without marrying anyone.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  From this start we now get shots of various other girlfriends, some I'm sure real, of different players. 

And it worked, at least to my perception.  In my little group the women have put down their phones and are watching the games.

And it is all faker than wrestling.

As opposed to what else?  Extended shots of coaches pacing the sideline and comically trying to cover their mouths while shouting into a headset?  Extended shots of players on the sideline?   Shots of Jerry Jones and other owners in their luxury suites?  When the Colts (Peyton Manning) played the Giants (Eli Manning), it seemed after at least every third play there was a shot of Archie Manning up in the stands.  When Matthew Stafford was with the Lions I saw lots of shots of his wife in a suite.  We've already had all this viewing distraction for years.  There's nothing new here, folks, just move along.  I really don't understand why shots of Taylor Swift specifically are so much of a concern.  It's just a random issue-of-the-moment from social media shits who have to stroke themselves by putting something out there for their "followers."  The same ones who, for example, of all the retail symbols out there, lose their shit over a holiday coffee cup design.

[formulanone]

Sounds like you'd enjoy a halftime show by "Weird Al"

That would be the BEST!

Even Worse! would also be accepted.

[Big John]

^^ That would cause an Apocalypse.

[tmoore952]

I remember reading somewhere (probably in this thread, or maybe the NFL thread) about annoyance with Greg Olsen on Fox.

I know this is general knowledge, but I was reminded last night that Tom Brady will be the lead Fox color analyst next year.
So Greg Olsen presumably won't be heard on the Fox featured game of the week at least. I'm sure he'll still be on the best game in the early time slot.

[vegas1962]

^^ That would cause an Apocalypse.

You mean an AL-pocalypse.

[JayhawkCO]

One of the comedy NFL accounts I follow:

"Kind of happy the super bowl will be ruined for millions of the most annoying guy you know who turns into a gremlin when they show Taylor for 2 seconds in the booth."

[snip]

Ah yes, those annoyed at seeing Taylor Swift for a sum total of 15 seconds during a game, but are totally okay with an over-bloated 30 minute halftime show.

I think the Venn diagram of people who are sick of Taylor and people who hate the Superbowl halftime is just one circle.

Each is going after the lowest common denominator of musical taste.

For over a decade I watched Tom Brady play for the Patriots while married to Gisele Bündchen, and I can count on ten fingers how many times she was shown on TV, and she was around for over a decade.

https://apnews.com/article/2024-grammy-awards-show-75f0eda337c9289f846f9a047d191703

Taylor Swift wins album of the year at the Grammy Awards for the fourth time, setting a new record
Here is an update Taylor Swift won the Grammy Awards and yes it's her Super Bowl.

a) Does this annoy you?
b) Does this have anything to do with sports?

[dvferyance]

That Seattle still doesn't have an NBA team.

[tchafe1978]

That everytime any given team loses, a certain subset of fans will call for the coach to be fired. This could be any team, any sport. A team loses one game, and Facobook is flooded with comments from "fans" wanting the coach fired, for losing ONE game, in what has otherwise been a successful season. It's gotten so bad I've started to ignore some fan groups I'm in and not even read comments under any article or posting about some of my favorite teams. Makes it hard to enjoy following the team.

[roadman65]

How about in Baseball when they go from first to whatever? Frank Cashen firing Davy Johnson, who was one of the best managers for the NY Mets, terminated Johnson's contract when the Mets dropped out of first place in the NLE.

Then George Steinbrenner, who constantly fired Yankee managers, because his mood changed and is famous for firing the most team managers in MLB history.

[gonealookin]

Starting this season, college football has a clock stoppage when the game clock hits 2:00 in both the first and second half.

They make a point of not calling it the "two-minute warning".  Officially it is the "two-minute timeout".

I think college football and the NFL should standardize this.  The referee should announce on mic "This is the unneccessary clock stoppage at two minutes left to go in this half because television wants certainty as to when they can insert a final commercial break."

College football games already go three-and-a-half hours plus without this pathetic bit of moneygrubbing.

[hotdogPi]

In one game, when the score is lopsided enough that it doesn't matter, someone should just run down the entire two minutes in a single play so that it never happens.

[Road Hog]

Starting this season, college football has a clock stoppage when the game clock hits 2:00 in both the first and second half.

They make a point of not calling it the "two-minute warning".  Officially it is the "two-minute timeout".

I think college football and the NFL should standardize this.  The referee should announce on mic "This is the unneccessary clock stoppage at two minutes left to go in this half because television wants certainty as to when they can insert a final commercial break."

College football games already go three-and-a-half hours plus without this pathetic bit of moneygrubbing.

The UIL in Texas (high school governing body) adheres to the NCAA to an extent and put this rule in as well. I hate it. It makes games (especially blowouts) longer than they need to be. It gives both teams a free fourth timeout.

[1995hoo]

I saw something once that was intended as satirical—but had a ring of truth to it—suggesting that the reason it's called the "two-minute warning" (or, in the CFL, the "three-minute warning") is for the fans attending the game in person in the stadium. It's "warning" them that the restroom and concession stand lines are about to get extremely long.

[NWI_Irish96]

Starting this season, college football has a clock stoppage when the game clock hits 2:00 in both the first and second half.

They make a point of not calling it the "two-minute warning".  Officially it is the "two-minute timeout".

I think college football and the NFL should standardize this.  The referee should announce on mic "This is the unneccessary clock stoppage at two minutes left to go in this half because television wants certainty as to when they can insert a final commercial break."

College football games already go three-and-a-half hours plus without this pathetic bit of moneygrubbing.

Inevitably, at least one of the time outs called by the teams ends up being a 30-second time out because they have reached their quota on commercials. Just eliminate the 2-minute time out and stick the commercials somewhere else.

[jeffandnicole]

Starting this season, college football has a clock stoppage when the game clock hits 2:00 in both the first and second half.

They make a point of not calling it the "two-minute warning".  Officially it is the "two-minute timeout".

I think college football and the NFL should standardize this.  The referee should announce on mic "This is the unneccessary clock stoppage at two minutes left to go in this half because television wants certainty as to when they can insert a final commercial break."

College football games already go three-and-a-half hours plus without this pathetic bit of moneygrubbing.

Inevitably, at least one of the time outs called by the teams ends up being a 30-second time out because they have reached their quota on commercials. Just eliminate the 2-minute time out and stick the commercials somewhere else.

Marketing Fail 101.

That's not how effective advertising works.

The NFL is big money.  Big salaries.  Big TV Contracts.  TV needs to recoup their investment.  TV is not going to recoup their investment by telling their advertisers they're going to place their ads where people aren't likely to view them.

[NWI_Irish96]

Starting this season, college football has a clock stoppage when the game clock hits 2:00 in both the first and second half.

They make a point of not calling it the "two-minute warning".  Officially it is the "two-minute timeout".

I think college football and the NFL should standardize this.  The referee should announce on mic "This is the unneccessary clock stoppage at two minutes left to go in this half because television wants certainty as to when they can insert a final commercial break."

College football games already go three-and-a-half hours plus without this pathetic bit of moneygrubbing.

Inevitably, at least one of the time outs called by the teams ends up being a 30-second time out because they have reached their quota on commercials. Just eliminate the 2-minute time out and stick the commercials somewhere else.

Marketing Fail 101.

That's not how effective advertising works.

The NFL is big money.  Big salaries.  Big TV Contracts.  TV needs to recoup their investment.  TV is not going to recoup their investment by telling their advertisers they're going to place their ads where people aren't likely to view them.

What's the difference though?

Team calls time out with 2:20 left and it's a 30-second time out because commercials will run at the 2 minute warning.

Team calls time out with 2:20 left and they run commercials because there's no 2 minute warning.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Tonight ended up being a night with no big four sports (NBA/NHL preseason does not count, neither does the NHL global series played in the morning US time), and aside from some uninteresting college football, nothing really of note on TV.