There’s Never Been a Better Time to Stop Watching Football
Whether you’re a Patriots fan or not, there’s never been a better time to stop watching football than right now.
A few clarifications upfront. I’m talking pro football here. I know next to nothing about college football; that’s not my focus here. Nor is it youth football. If you want your kid to play youth football, that’s your business. Just bear in mind that concussion rates for children under 19 who participate in tackle football have doubled over the last decade. You can read more about that here.
No, my little mini-essay is for the NFL fan. I was thinking about pro football after putting together this list of 12 things to do this fall instead of watching the Patriots suck. That list is geared toward Pats fans, obviously, but if you’re a fan of another team that stinks, you might find it handy, too. And if you’re fan of NFL football in general, I have a message for you.
There’s Never Been a Better Time to Stop Watching Football
Let’s be honest: as an entertainment product, NFL football stinks. According to this piece from FiveThirtyEight: “An average NFL broadcast lasts well over three hours, yet it delivers a total of only 18 minutes of football action.” And when that action leads to head trauma that leaves players staggering around the field or laid out and giving the fencing response, questions need to be asked.
And that’s all I’m trying to do here, to get football fans to ask themselves: “why am I choosing to do this to myself?” Old habits die hard, as they saying goes. I get it. And as Americans, we do a lousy job of poking holes in those habits. We’re big fans of saying “we’ve always done this” or “things have always been this way” without ever asking why. So ask yourself why. And answer yourself honestly.
Maybe your honest answer will be that, despite the decline in product, harm to players, and the end of the Patriots dynasty, you just love football and love spending your Sundays watching it. But maybe it won’t. Maybe you’ll find you’re ready for something new. And as comedian Joe Pera illustrates below (riffing on his beloved Buffalo Bills before they got good), Sundays can be a joy. Without football.