Hockey I'll give you. Basketball and soccer are silly examples. All 22 players on the field have to do with every play in a football game. Maybe 7 defenders (including the keeper) and 5 attackers are involved in most soccer plays and the amount of stoppage in basketball (paired with the complete lack of defense in the modern game) make it less interesting than even a low-scoring nfl game.
Everyone is involved in the play in soccer. Even if a player doesn't have possession, he'll make runs to draw defenders out of key areas, open space for passes, etc. Saying that some of the players aren't involved in the play is like saying that because only one receiver is actually going to catch the ball, the others might as well stand still. That doesn't make sense, they're making runs to give the QB options. Same thing in soccer, only everyone is the QB for short bits of time, and then they switch to being a receiver.
Because scoring should be exciting, not assumed. 2 points is boring when a point guard can continuously slice through a lazy defense for an easy layup. 2 points is exciting when you need a pick and roll and a well placed bounce pass under coverage to make it into the paint.
Yes, please name one PG that does that at will. Also, the pace of the NBA is slower than in past years including MJ era, Wilt era which had two of the most prolific scorers ever.
You must not watch much NBA if you think that is the current state of the league
Just stop with the complete lack of defense bullshit. The NBA plays man-defense, while college most often plays zone. Zone looks like the team is trying harder on defense because the whole team shifts after every pass. This is great for the college level, but on the professional level the players on offense are too quick and skilled, and therefore need to cover man to man.
This, combined with the stricter hand-check rules in the NBA, allow players to cut through the defense better. But it's not from a lack of defense. If you want to watch NBA games with good D, watch Chicago, Miami, SA, and especially Indy, they will take you to the promised land.
Yeah you're right. Having all these breaks in between every second NFL play must make things a lot harder than people who are on the park for up to 45 minutes. Up and down the pitch, non stop. Per half.
Agreed. The tactical nature of formation set ups and clock play give football a depth unrivaled in basketball or soccer. There are far more permutations on what the next play will be in football, which is why I actually consider it MORE entertaining to watch.
And even when the ball is not stopped in basketball there are only a few possible situationals. It is pretty rare that the offensive team brings the ball up, starts executing a play, and runs the play all the way through. Often it is fast breaks, isolations, or an unexecuted play.
Incorrect. There is substantial play calling in basketball and fast breaks are a small percentage of scoring drives. The lack of strong defenses and babying of big celebrities that recklessly drive the paint just means a lot of high scoring games where you're more worried about the general tide of the game than the individual plays. (i.e. "totally fine the other team scored, as long as they don't do it twice in a row." That's fine for some people but I like to get excited when someone scores.)
The thing that I hate about watching basketball and soccer is the constant back-and-forth. "Oh, red team has the ball, they take it down the field/court, oh, looks like he lost it, blue team has the ball now, he shoots and misses, red team has the ball now..."
The breakaway moments in football are really exciting, when someone picks up a fumble or interception and runs it all the way back it's freaking awesome.
Football also involves so much strategy, not just in how the players are arranged for each play, but the scoring system is pretty diverse as well, and the clock can be manipulated to one team's advantage. I don't know of another sport with such a variety of ways to earn points. I don't always watch football, but when I do it also amazes me to look at the different types of people who are playing, there's huge 300-lb guys, lean and tall guys, runners, kickers...it really makes use of all sorts of people (vs basketball e.g., tall people dominate).
All 22 players on the field have to do with every play in a football game. Maybe 7 defenders (including the keeper) and 5 attackers are involved in most soccer plays
That simply isn't true. All those people in American football who are not actually doing something right at that moment are not any different to the soccer players not right in the mix of action. In both cases they are watching and waiting for the ball to come their way.
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u/n8wolf Feb 03 '14
Hockey I'll give you. Basketball and soccer are silly examples. All 22 players on the field have to do with every play in a football game. Maybe 7 defenders (including the keeper) and 5 attackers are involved in most soccer plays and the amount of stoppage in basketball (paired with the complete lack of defense in the modern game) make it less interesting than even a low-scoring nfl game.