Pro Football and College Football (not necessarily a football topic)

[pg1067]

Hopefully, this will make sense...

A co-worker of mine is, like me, a sports fan.  Unlike me, he takes an interest in college and even local high school sports.  He attended UCLA and is a fan of all things UCLA.  I had a very non-traditional college experience, so I don't have any real allegiance to a school.  As a kid, I chose UCLA over USC in terms of local rooting, but I rarely watch college sports and regard college football and basketball as essentially professional minor leagues.

Earlier this week, my co-worker asked about what college football games I had watched on Saturday.  I told him I didn't watch any because I regard it as an inferior product.  He then began to argue that it was a superior product because, while the gameplay itself may be inferior, everything else about it is better.  My response was, simply, that I'm there for the game and don't care about the rest of that stuff.  He seemed to be flabbergasted about that.

I'll also point out that this same guy, after I had returned from Chicago and my first visit to Wrigley Field last year, asked me if I had seen something in particular.  I commented that once I actually entered the stadium, I didn't do too much exploring.  His response was something like, "well...what else did you have to do?" to which I responded, "watch the game."  Again, this seemed to baffle him.

So...since this stuck with me throughout the week, I figured I see if folks here have thoughts on this.  Is the game central to your experience or just one part of a bigger experience that is no more or less important than any other part?

[El Barto]

I think it's somewhere between your two positions. For me it's about both. Since I've always got a bottle of firewater and a sixer riding on the season I take an interest in the season as a whole, as well as the individual games. I lost a money game on the Bills Monday night, but was honestly rooting for the NYJ by the end of it, as it just made for a better game. At the same time I don't give damn about a whole lot of the rest of it. I have less than zero interest in Hard Knocks. I don't care about individual stories unless they're something truly epic. That said, I absolutely would have arrived early enough to explore Wrigley Field.

[hefdaddy42]

One of the points of college sports is that its not just the game.  It's the crowd, the stadium, the tradition.  It's everything.  College fans, especially if travelling from out of town, often make an entire day or even weekend of a college football game.  It's not just a pro team, to which you would only have an arbitrary attachment; it's your alma mater, or the team your entire family always pulled for.  It's part of your life.

Are there better individual players in the NFL?  Obviously.  But they are often SO good that they offset each other, and a lot of the actual games aren't all that entertaining in comparison with college games, IMO.  I watch both college and NFL, but I definitely prefer college.  And I would attend a college game over an NFL game any day.

[El Barto]

One of the points of college sports is that its not just the game.  It's the crowd, the stadium, the tradition.  It's everything.  College fans, especially if travelling from out of town, often make an entire day or even weekend of a college football game.  It's not just a pro team, to which you would only have an arbitrary attachment; it's your alma mater, or the team your entire family always pulled for.  It's part of your life.

Are there better individual players in the NFL?  Obviously.  But they are often SO good that they offset each other, and a lot of the actual games aren't all that entertaining in comparison with college games, IMO.  I watch both college and NFL, but I definitely prefer college.  And I would attend a college game over an NFL game any day.

That's an interesting observation that I had not considered. I'm not sure it works for me, though. Seems like the difference between 22 badasses and 1 badass exploiting 11 halfasses.    That's just me, though.

That said, I'd probably prefer seeing a college game over a pro game, myself.

[Stadler]

I think it's somewhere between your two positions. For me it's about both. Since I've always got a bottle of firewater and a sixer riding on the season I take an interest in the season as a whole, as well as the individual games. I lost a money game on the Bills Monday night, but was honestly rooting for the NYJ by the end of it, as it just made for a better game. At the same time I don't give damn about a whole lot of the rest of it. I have less than zero interest in Hard Knocks. I don't care about individual stories unless they're something truly epic. That said, I absolutely would have arrived early enough to explore Wrigley Field.

Other than the having money on a game, this is me, exactly. I don't give a rat's ass about individual "stories" or any of that.  I like the game, but I like the experience.  I watched almost every snap last night but tuned out when they were pimping the Jason Kelce documentary, for example.

Another case in point: we went to the Winter Classic this past year, and while we watched all three periods of the game, after we went down and took in some of the fan interactions with the players (Brad Marchand pulled out all the little kids with his number and had a group photo on the field; one of the coolest things I've ever seen). 

[lonestar]

One of the points of college sports is that its not just the game.  It's the crowd, the stadium, the tradition.  It's everything.  College fans, especially if travelling from out of town, often make an entire day or even weekend of a college football game.  It's not just a pro team, to which you would only have an arbitrary attachment; it's your alma mater, or the team your entire family always pulled for.  It's part of your life.

Are there better individual players in the NFL?  Obviously.  But they are often SO good that they offset each other, and a lot of the actual games aren't all that entertaining in comparison with college games, IMO.  I watch both college and NFL, but I definitely prefer college.  And I would attend a college game over an NFL game any day.

That's an interesting observation that I had not considered. I'm not sure it works for me, though. Seems like the difference between 22 badasses and 1 badass exploiting 11 halfasses.    That's just me, though.

That said, I'd probably prefer seeing a college game over a pro game, myself.

I kind of see what Hef is saying, and while I see it, it's not as apparent as say pro basketball...those guys play at such a high level and on such an even field that it's downright boring most of the time, for me at least, especially when compared to something like the March Madness tourney.

[crazy climber dude]

Akin with going to a prog concert vs a conventional heavy metal/hard rock show.

[Cool Chris]

Hef is basically correct, for many college football fans. There is often more of a connection, an allegiance to a team that transcends geography. I might be an outlier, as I hated college, but I recognize for many the "game" goes beyond the game on the field. I recognize this when I watch UM-OSU, for example, or Duke-UNC basketball.

I will also chime in and say that I am not one of those fans who say you have to cheer for your hometown team. I know some people will die on this hill, and rooting for a team other than that in your municipality/closest metropolitan area is sacrilege, but I don't buy it. People live where they do often due to factors beyond their control, and it is not their fault if their local team is garbage and leadership is not doing what they can to put a quality product on the field.

[El Barto]

Hef is basically correct, for many college football fans. There is often more of a connection, an allegiance to a team that transcends geography. I might be an outlier, as I hated college, but I recognize for many the "game" goes beyond the game on the field. I recognize this when I watch UM-OSU, for example, or Duke-UNC basketball.

I will also chime in and say that I am not one of those fans who say you have to cheer for your hometown team. I know some people will die on this hill, and rooting for a team other than that in your municipality/closest metropolitan area is sacrilege, but I don't buy it. People live where they do often due to factors beyond their control, and it is not their fault if their local team is garbage and leadership is not doing what they can to put a quality product on the field.

And sometimes the team from your home town is a bunch of ass clowns. 

[Jamesman42]

I'm like you, pg. My college experience was to drive to class and do the work required. It was just some extra tasks while I worked 50-60 hours a week and tried to survive. All at a local community college, so not a big school with a football team.

While I get the appeal of the college experience, it isn't for me, at least at this phase of life. I enjoy watching the best of the best go at it each week. While I get what hef is saying, and sometimes the games can bore me for a few moments, it also leads to some great gameplay and memorable plays.

[hefdaddy42]

Let me be clearer.  There can be bad (or boring) games in both NFL and college, but a boring game in the NFL is, for me, one of those 10-7 or 13-10 clunkers we get every week, whereas in college it's more likely to be 49-7, and some people find it less than satisfying.

Basically, different people are wire different ways, and in some products, what is a bug for some people is a feature for others.  I love college sports a lot more than pro sports.

Part of that has to do with where you live, as well.  People in or near large cities tend to be pro fans, because that's where the pro teams are.  People raised in, for example, the southeast tend to be college fans moreso than pro teams, because there never used to be any pro teams down here.  When I was a kid, as far as pro football, most of were Washington fans because they in the 50s and 60s they wrapped up monopolies on radio and TV broadcasts down here.  There was no competition as far as local pro teams; the closest was Atlanta, and that's a general non-starter, and the only other one anywhere near us was the Miami Dolphins.  Meanwhile, we had countless big-time college programs around us.

[cramx3]

Just put on the Penn State game this Saturday night and tell me you don't notice a difference between college and professional football.

As Hef stated, there's a lot of tradition and a lot of pride in college ball that doesn't transcend to the professional league.  It's something you may not "get" unless you've been there.  I'm not sure I'd be a big college ball fan if I didn't attend a college that was big on football.  There's just something special about some of the big teams and stadiums. 

I'd say the professional game is a better "product" in terms of competitiveness and seeing the best athletes compete.  BUT theres something special about a 12 game season where every game matters and the impacts of an upset can change the playoff scenarios. 

As for Wrigley, I'm big on checking out the stadiums I attend and an historic one would definitely be an example of me roaming around the place.  I did that for the Aerosmith concert at Fenway last year, got in extra early just to walk around and see everything I could from inside the park.

[Stadler]

I will also chime in and say that I am not one of those fans who say you have to cheer for your hometown team. I know some people will die on this hill, and rooting for a team other than that in your municipality/closest metropolitan area is sacrilege, but I don't buy it. People live where they do often due to factors beyond their control, and it is not their fault if their local team is garbage and leadership is not doing what they can to put a quality product on the field.

And these things can change.  I grew up a Yankees and Giants fan (from my dad).  I'm still a Giants fan, but I took a shining to Patriots back in college (Steve Grogan/Tony Eason years) and certainly when they hired both Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, it was a beautiful thing for me.  My friend from college cannot accept that a Yankees/Giants fan has both Red Sox and Patriots gear.  To me it's not personal. 

[pg1067]

Yeah...I don't know.  I get where the college fans are coming from, but the idea of the game not being central to the experience just seems odd to me.

[hefdaddy42]

Yeah...I don't know.  I get where the college fans are coming from, but the idea of the game not being central to the experience just seems odd to me.

The game isn't necessarily not central.  It's just far from the only thing.

Not sure how else to explain it.  You were the one with the "non-traditional college experience" so maybe you just aren't GOING to get it.  Especially without really watching a college football game, or even better, attending one.

It's the marching band, and the alumni, and everything.  It would be really weird if it was just the game.

[Stadler]

Yeah...I don't know.  I get where the college fans are coming from, but the idea of the game not being central to the experience just seems odd to me.

I don't have season tickets to Uconn football, and yet will go to the tailgate probably 3 of the 6 home games, whether I have a ticket or not.  I get to hang with peeps I've known for going on 40 years and maybe don't get to see all that frequently.

But more importantly, and my main point, is it's not all or nothing.  My experience at a Uconn football game is not the same as at a Patriots game.  It's the same with concerts for me; there are some concerts I go to because I want to hear every note.  And I rush to the front and stare gawkingly at the players.  Others, I go for the experience and will hang with friends before hand and maybe hang in back of the venue.  I've seen Jimmy Buffett I think four times, and honestly the music is the least of it.

[cramx3]

Yeah...I don't know.  I get where the college fans are coming from, but the idea of the game not being central to the experience just seems odd to me.

The game is still central to the experience, but there's just a lot more than a ball game if I were to see Penn State play for example.  A lot of that comes to ties to the school, which IMO, is why the college game is filled with a lot more emotion, tradition, and rivalry.

[Chino]

There was a pretty interesting segment on NPR a week or two ago talking about this to a degree. With fantasy sports, people are becoming fans of the sports as a whole rather than an individual team. There are a lot people that have gotten into sports over the last few years, and it wasn't hometown pride that got them there. Being able to manage a virtual team has been the primary driver. Marketing firms and the NFL are putting a lot of thought into what that means for the future of sports and how it's marketed/presented. 

[hefdaddy42]

I've seen Jimmy Buffett I think four times, and honestly the music is the least of it.

That was my experience with Buffett as well.