Football is America’s passion, much like futbol is for the rest of the world. The game is predicated on invading the opponent’s real estate with scoring a touchdown as the culmination of those efforts. The men are big, fast, and insanely athletic while the game is a symphony of perfect spirals, crashing bodies, and fleet-footed phantoms trying to move the chains or preventing the opponent from doing so.
It is a game made for television and the NFL does a remarkable job of selling their product to a voracious audience whose appetite for merchandise is insatiable. The colors of the uniforms are bold, the team nicknames are catchy, and the shiny helmets appeal to young and old alike. It’s an alpha male game that has spawned cult followings among many of its franchises. The league makes billions while the players make millions. Everybody wins, including the fans.
Even the NFL draft is an important part of the business. In fact, betting sites from the USA offer special lines for the event so if you think betting on football is relegated only to the games played on the field then think again. The next generation of NFL talent is the biggest and most lucrative meat market on the planet and TV ratings have grown exponentially over the last several years.
First-round 2021 NFL Draft order, top needs for all 32 @NFL teams entering the offseason.https://t.co/hXqvGMkthA pic.twitter.com/W8UaNJCSBy
— NFL Draft (@NFLDraft) February 8, 2021
Amazingly, the 2020 NFL Draft saw a 16 percent increase over the 2019 draft across all three days of the event despite the fact that it was being produced remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NFL technical gurus were at their best as the entire broadcast was devoid of any bugs, glitches, or freezes.
“I was thoroughly impressed — blown away, even — by how smooth the operation was,” said Erik Bacharach, Titans beat reporter for The Tennessean. “I was fully expecting there to be some technological snags throughout the event.”
“It’s clear ESPN’s ability to put on a remote event is more sculpted than I think any of us could have expected,” Bacharach of The Tennessean said. “The overall quality of the event, in my opinion, didn’t drop at all. Even when things return to normal, I think there’s a lot of elements of the virtual draft that should continue to be incorporated into the broadcast going forward, which is a testament to how well run this week’s draft was.”
“The guys who do all the IT work, I’m sure they worked overtime to make sure the coaches have whatever they have,” said Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tyrell Williams. “So, I know those guys don’t get enough credit for what they do, because they’re setting everybody up.”
From a revenue-sharing standpoint, the NFL is all about parity. The franchises share equally in the revenues derived from NFL licensed apparel as well as the enormous money generated by corporate sponsors which account for two-thirds of the revenue. And although the highest valued franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, is worth approximately $1.5 billion and double that of the lowest valued franchise, the Minnesota Vikings, both teams share the profits equally. Both are also bound by a salary cap that keeps the playing field level and does not handicap the smaller market teams.
In MLB, there is no such salary cap, only a luxury tax triggered when teams spend above a certain threshold which has contributed to the haves and the have-not’s season after season. The Pittsburgh Pirates are perennial cellar-dwellers while the New York Yankees routinely qualify for the postseason.
Moreover, the NFL is exciting. Unlike baseball, where the games can drag and the only action occurs at the crack of a bat, football features tackling on every play and a trench war with each snap. And unlike a hockey puck, the football is easily seen and the game has significant eye appeal due to the 100-yard gridiron and the colorful uniforms being worn by men whose physical gifts dwarf the mere mortal.
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Lastly, the weekly nature of the game makes every contest a spectacle. In the NHL and NBA, the teams play an 82-game grind while Major League Baseball rolls out a 162-game slate every season, except for the most recent due to the global pandemic. It’s easy to take it for granted when it is on several times a week.
However, everyone in America is aware of Sunday football with the Monday night showdown enjoyed as the highly anticipated desert after a weekend full of NFL sumptuous entrees. There is nothing like the pageantry of an NFL game and right now they have the formula that keeps football fans wanting more.
