Why I Hate the NFL

Ah, football. 365 days a year, and not just on the NFL Network, America lives, breathes, and sleeps football. At least that side of America that likes sports. And this irritates me. There are a lot of reasons I'm not a huge NFL fan.

1) I grew up in a place where the NFL's popularity sits behind hockey, baseball, basketball, college basketball, college football, and maybe even college hockey. And no, it wasn't Canada. But you're close.

2) I want to watch the games during the season and then forget about the sport when the season's over. That's part of the pleasure for me. If college football were on all the time, would Illinois vs San Diego State on September 2 be entertaining? Probably not. Baseball is great in April and May, in large part because it's a fresh season. There's hope for every team.

3) The ridiculously close games. "Oh, the skill level is just so high that any team can win in any given week." Maybe. But I don't believe that 2-14 teams should have a chance to tie or win on their last possession every single week.

4) Pro football, more than any other sport, requires a lot of non-game knowledge. I have to be honest, I do not know any free agency rules, couldn't tell you the salary cap, can't STAND the pre-draft, draft, and post-draft coverage, and have never understood the franchise tag. And I don't want to. I want to watch the games and root for my team.

Which brings me to the final point for now...

4) Who are these guys on my team? I'm a Bears fan, because the Lions are bad and were never on TV when I was a kid due to blackout restrictions. I am a very casual NFL fan unless the Bears are good, but I've been better since 2001. The Thomas Jones deal (sorry for linking a column instead of a news story, but this is how I feel) was insane. There's no continuity. I feel ancient for saying this, but I want guys to want to stay with the same team for a while.

There's too much off-field businessy crap in the NFL. The NHL's adoption of the salary cap is going to make this happen in that league too, and I am distraught about that. I hate the salary cap. It's pointless. I'm tired of the people who say "you root for the jersey, not for the players." No, maybe YOU do, but I don't. I root for Michigan guys, Big Ten guys, and so forth. And the Bears. I will continue to root for Thomas Jones. Financial decisions are a fact of pro sports, but why should the league be able to decide that you have to field a new team every season? It's not bad that some teams have more money than others. What's bad is the sweeping view among fans that every team should have a chance to win the championship every season. That's not reality. Baseball has somehow beaten the odds in this battle. I was really happy to see the Tigers beat the Yankees last year. Money doesn't equal championships.

Maybe these are sour grapes, but I think that more and more people are on this wagon, and I'm happy about that. The league's flap with Comcast and other cable providers over the NFL Network made me feel good.

End of rant.