Tweet
I believe most sports last significantly longer since I was a youngster, most likely due to advertising and the advent of replays/time outs/other. I LOVE sports, but even I am getting annoyed that games seem to go on and on, nearly every day and night, in nearly every sport. For me, baseball is definitely losing it's hold on me. I just can't sit and watch those long games, with all the delays. All the rituals. All the substitutions. Too much!
But even exciting sports, like NHL and NFL, wear on me from time to time. If you can get it done within 3 hours, you are doing good these days. I use the Sunday afternoon / 60 Minutes example, as proof that the games are going too long. There was a time that the 3 pm games would end by 6 pm, when 60 Minutes starts. Over time, the games went deeper into 60 Minutes, and thus you would end up backing up all your tv choices for the night. Sometimes 60 Minutes would end at 7, no matter what time you got to watch it. Of course nowadays there often ways to record shows, and often they are also shown later that night, or another day. But my point is, the stretch of the NFL game is getting stretch-ier!
There's proof that you can watch shorter games. At The Olympics, hockey games were often finished within 2 and 1/2 hours. I don't have the specifics, but some games seemed to be done in just over 2 hours. And they were exciting, and there were ads, and so on. I know, different environment, less fighting, and bigger ice (although not sure if that's really a factor).
Bottom line, other than Overtime, lets hope sports leaders manage the length of games. I'm sure there's no big rush, unless ratings get impacted. Having said that, The NHL has just changed the ruling in OT, in which they will no longer do a dry scrape, because it was taking a little too long. Interestingly, that process wasn't a bad thing, because it's goal was to make the ice more presentable in OT.
Anyway.....I will always love most sports, but I sure wish they could take some measures to ensure the "3 Hour Limit" (in those related sports) be a real goal going forward.
But even exciting sports, like NHL and NFL, wear on me from time to time. If you can get it done within 3 hours, you are doing good these days. I use the Sunday afternoon / 60 Minutes example, as proof that the games are going too long. There was a time that the 3 pm games would end by 6 pm, when 60 Minutes starts. Over time, the games went deeper into 60 Minutes, and thus you would end up backing up all your tv choices for the night. Sometimes 60 Minutes would end at 7, no matter what time you got to watch it. Of course nowadays there often ways to record shows, and often they are also shown later that night, or another day. But my point is, the stretch of the NFL game is getting stretch-ier!
There's proof that you can watch shorter games. At The Olympics, hockey games were often finished within 2 and 1/2 hours. I don't have the specifics, but some games seemed to be done in just over 2 hours. And they were exciting, and there were ads, and so on. I know, different environment, less fighting, and bigger ice (although not sure if that's really a factor).
Bottom line, other than Overtime, lets hope sports leaders manage the length of games. I'm sure there's no big rush, unless ratings get impacted. Having said that, The NHL has just changed the ruling in OT, in which they will no longer do a dry scrape, because it was taking a little too long. Interestingly, that process wasn't a bad thing, because it's goal was to make the ice more presentable in OT.
Anyway.....I will always love most sports, but I sure wish they could take some measures to ensure the "3 Hour Limit" (in those related sports) be a real goal going forward.
Comment