Five G-- D----- Preseason Games!!

by Sunil on Jun 30, 2007 12:10 PM CDT in News Comment 2 comments

In the NFL, success begets hype, and hype begets increased exposure, marketability and revenue. So I guess it's a good thing that the Saints are playing five goddamned preseason games, after all, they--THE SAINTS--are involved in the two "kickoff" broadcasts of the NFL season, the Hall of Fame Game (August 5) against the Steelers, and the first regular season game (September 6), a Thursday night matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. What a long strange trip it's been (and other yearbook quotations).

However, I don't subscribe to the maxim, "The More Football, the Better." Football is far too physical of a sport to force a team to play twenty-one games before the playoffs even begin. To be fair, I think four preseason games are too many.

I AM thoroughly excited to see the Saints regain the title of "best in black and gold," but as exciting as exciting as this battle will be (Irresistible Force v. Immovable Object!), this is essentially going to be an extended fourth-stringer's scrimmage. I'm pumped to see Reggie Bush and Troy Polamalu manned up for that ONE PLAY, but after that, I'm guessing it will be back to Man Vs. Wild and The Office reruns.

Should any starters--or, for that matter, backups--get hurt, I will be furious ... l-i-v-i-d. I will casually toss around terms like "money-grab, greedy SOB's, and SHAME," with Bill Plaschke-ian righteous indignation. And nobody wants to read about that.

Furthermore, I'm a bit worried that each team's first regular season game will actually be their sixth game.

Overexposure--is this a good problem to have?

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howabout

How about instead of adding more regular season games overseas we use some of these preseason games overseas.

by MarkV0327 on Jul 1, 2007 8:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I wholeheartedly agree

With the cost of tickets these days, and the relative scarcity (8) of home regular season games, taking one away from a fanbase--forget the team, for a second--is insulting. It's not the game itself that the league is removing, it's the whole experience: getting there early and tailgting, interacting with other fans, watching your favorite players warm up, heckling division rivals, etc. Sure, that's there for preseason games, but the intensity, the palpable sense of anticipation just isn't there. Fans wait all week for regular season football games, even when their teams suck--especially when their teams suck (to wash out the taste of losing); why take one away from the fans?

I am all for the NFL expanding the game globally, but foreign audiences aren't going to be able to tell the difference between the play of fourth-stringers and first-stringers; domestic audiences can. So why waste the good efforts of the first-stringers, regular season games, on people who can't understand why players can't use their feet in football.

by Sunil on Jul 1, 2007 10:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs