The Pussification of the NFL

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

News flash:  The weather isn't going to be any worse than what you get if the AFCCG is held in NE or the the AFCCG is held in Greenbay. 

Actually the weather is typically nicer late Feb than late January.  Football is played in the cold in front of fans. 

[MikeO]

News flash:  The weather isn't going to be any worse than what you get if the AFCCG is held in NE or the the AFCCG is held in Greenbay. 

Actually the weather is typically nicer late Feb than late January.  Football is played in the cold in front of fans. 

Living in the Northeast my entire life what you say is true. But there is that "CHANCE" NYC/NJ gets hit with a blizzard that one day. It has happened before in Feb and in March. Likely...probably not. But its not far fetched to think it won't happen. It very well could!

[Landshark]

Not gonna find much sympathy for millionaire players for having to play 1 game in cold weather. That isn't a shot at you Landshark just saying nobody is gonna feel sorry for them. I actually agree with you that I would like to see this game played in DOMES or Warm Weather locations. I want to see a champion decided on the field, not because of who handles the cold and wind better. But nobody is gonna feel sorry for players for having to play in a cold game. If anything I feel sorry for the fans who pay big money for having to sit out in the cold for 5+ hours. Cause with all the security and such you gotta be in your seat a good 60-90 min before kickoff!

Exactly my point.  Cold weather and snow hampers teams in certain ways.

[Phishfan]

I want to see a champion decided on the field, not because of who handles the cold and wind better. But nobody is gonna feel sorry for players for having to play in a cold game.

Yes, because that is not part of the game and does not happen on the field.

[Spider-Dan]

I look at it as the same reason the NBA plays indoors: while the majority of basketball on earth is probably played outdoors, I don't think the ability to shoot a wet basketball in the rain is really a skill we want to measure.

When you have wet, sloppy conditions, half the game doesn't count.  I like to see two teams play to their full potential, not a game where strategy is crippled because of the weather.

[Landshark]

Yes, because that is not part of the game and does not happen on the field.

Not in the Super Bowl.  The Super Bowl is supposed to be neutral so everything about it needs to be neutralized, including the elements.

[el diablo]

Playing in the elements is part of the game. However from a TV standpoint, the elements create havoc. Havoc doesn't play well with the biggest TV event of the year. A winter crap storm would put an end to this outdoor, Northern city crap. Playing in Detroit, good idea. Its indoors. Playing in Foxboro, not so much.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Living in the Northeast my entire life what you say is true. But there is that "CHANCE" NYC/NJ gets hit with a blizzard that one day. It has happened before in Feb and in March. Likely...probably not. But its not far fetched to think it won't happen. It very well could!

Yes, there could be a blizzard for the superbowl.  But there could also be a blizzard for the AFCCG in Foxboro.  We don't move all the January games to the south/dome, this isn't really any different. 

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I look at it as the same reason the NBA plays indoors: while the majority of basketball on earth is probably played outdoors, I don't think the ability to shoot a wet basketball in the rain is really a skill we want to measure.

Nope the reason we play basketball indoors is because 1) we play it in the winter not the summer 2) comfort of the fans.  We play hockey indoors too -- that is for the comfort of the fans. 

[Sunstroke]

Comparing the AFCCG to the Super Bowl is kind of a weak argument. People don't travel from all points of the world to see the AFCCG. They do for the Super Bowl though.

Freezing rain, that's what I'm lighting a candle for. The most insane "nobody at the stadium will enjoy the experience" shitstorm of inclement weather. I want the entire city to be a miserable slushy Hell for an entire week, so that none of the SB visitors can do anything but sit in their hotel rooms and complain about the weather.

Then...see ya back in Miami and Phoenix and Southern California and Texas, etc... for every Super Bowl for the next 20 years or so.

[MikeO]

Yes, there could be a blizzard for the superbowl.  But there could also be a blizzard for the AFCCG in Foxboro.  We don't move all the January games to the south/dome, this isn't really any different. 

As Stroke said people don't travel into the city for the AFCCG. The Super Bowl is a global event where people travel from all over the world

[Sunstroke]

The Super Bowl is a global event where people travel from all over the world.

Exactly. I've been blessed to have been able to live in 6 different countries overseas (UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Italy) and visit a number of others. No matter where outside the USA you go, if you ask someone from another country what they know of American sports, the first words out of their mouth will be "Super Bowl." In many countries, it is the only US sporting event that is televised. Do you really want to have the world see our players slipping and sliding around in a boring-ass snow game? That may be peachy for the hardcore old school football purists here at home, but it doesn't make for a gala spectacle by any means.

[Spider-Dan]

Nope the reason we play basketball indoors is because 1) we play it in the winter not the summer 2) comfort of the fans.  We play hockey indoors too -- that is for the comfort of the fans.

Both hockey and basketball are played through June, so "comfort of the fans" is a pretty weak excuse.  And playing ice hockey outdoors on Memorial Day might prove to be... challenging.

The NHL has an outdoor game (the Winter Classic) which the players like.  When the NBA tries to play preseason games outdoors, the players bitch endlessly about the wind.  Comfort of the fans is not the motivating factor.

[masterfins]

If anything I feel sorry for the fans who pay big money for having to sit out in the cold for 5+ hours. Cause with all the security and such you gotta be in your seat a good 60-90 min before kickoff!

I feel just the opposite of this.  Most Super Bowl attendees aren't diehard fans, they are the rich people that show up to be seen so they can brag to their friends that they were at the game.  That's why the tickets have become unaffordable for teams' blue collar fans to attend the Super Bowl.  The NFL makes enough money off the fans all year, they ought to make more tickets available to season ticket holders (at regular prices) of the host city and the two teams playing in the game.

[Phishfan]

Exactly. I've been blessed to have been able to live in 6 different countries overseas (UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Italy) and visit a number of others. No matter where outside the USA you go, if you ask someone from another country what they know of American sports, the first words out of their mouth will be "Super Bowl." In many countries, it is the only US sporting event that is televised. Do you really want to have the world see our players slipping and sliding around in a boring-ass snow game? That may be peachy for the hardcore old school football purists here at home, but it doesn't make for a gala spectacle by any means.

I really don't care what another country thinks about it.