As a big sports fan, NFL Sundays are the perfect way to end the week. As a Patriots fan, it is even better because I know we will most likely win. But, this season has just been so boring and uninteresting throughout the whole league. Here are 5 reasons why the NFL is going in the wrong direction.
1. Commercials
The amount of commercials turn a 60-minute game into 3 hours of boring television. I understand there needs to be commercials and sponsors and everything, but every two seconds there is a commercial break. Coin flip. Commercial. Kickoff. Commercial. First play. Commercial. I mean one reason why I can actually enjoy watching soccer is the fact that it never ends! There are no breaks. I can’t get into a game when I feel like a commercial break happens after almost every play.
2. Customized Cleats
Part of what makes football fun to watch is the flare and uniqueness of every player. Especially this season, there are so many players that wear customized cleats during warm-ups. Some of these cleats have sparked controversies or portray certain topics argued in the media today, while others simply portray the style and uniqueness of some of the players. Yet, the NFL does not allow them to wear these during the games. I think it’s cool to see the different styles of all the players. As long as the cleats are not illegal, meaning the right studs etc., players should be able to wear whatever cleats they want. By allowing players to wear cleats during warm-ups but not during the game, it draws unneeded attention to certain ways the NFL handles situations.
3. Celebrations
Most fans love to see the celebrations of their favorite player after a touchdown. But, with increased rules and fines along the lines of celebrations, players cannot always celebrate the way they may like. Now, I HATE when a lineman goes crazy after every play he makes a tackle. But, if you find the end zone I think it's OK to have a little fun.
4. Bad Teams
This one may be out of the control of the league. But, there are a lot more bad teams this year than usual. Even if a team has a winning record and is doing well, it's just not “good” football. So many teams have ugly wins and the fun of flashy plays and big touchdowns is just so inconsistent.
5. Discipline
The biggest joke about the NFL may actually be off the field. Goodell and the league are absolutely atrocious at disciplinary actions. For example, the circus that was “deflategate.” No matter what side of this issue you were on, it was easily the most embarrassing debacle by Goodell and the league. Countless times the NFL has proved to have a terrible process of implementing discipline for actions of players on or off the field.
It is a bummer to have the NFL seem so boring this season. However, it does make the Patriots chances of winning yet another Super Bowl seem even higher.
