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Adnan_le_Terrible
* Dog in the Sand *
France
1973 Posts |
 Posted - 01/30/2004 : 04:51:29
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Don't misunderstand me, I have nothing against American football. It's just that somebody told me that the broadcast lasts 4 hours, out of which only 1 hour of effective game. The rest is for the commercials. How can a human being watch that kind of thing?
I joined the three kitties club / And now I can participate to a secret forum with Charles. |
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bedrock_barney
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
871 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 04:54:15
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I think they spend the other 3 hours eating.
 "Join the Cult of the Theremin / It's Velouriatastic!!" |
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Bryan Shepherd
- FB Fan -
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 04:57:10
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And DRINKING! GO PATS!!! GO PATS!!!
(Collapses into the bean dip)
 I'm the guy from wonderland...& you will never understand... |
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benji
> Teenager of the Year <
New Zealand
3426 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 05:00:49
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i have also wondered the same thing for many years.
I am excited about hearing some kind of definitive answer here.
it seems a truly, truly bizarre game to me....
my brother and sister went to a Penn State college game last year and were amazed that it took over 5 minutes for the teams to run out onto the field - because there were about 40 on each side!
they had a blast, but they said the actual game was boring as fuck, but the entertainment was superb.
and i find the idea of calling a stop to the game for an advert to be shown on tv hilarious.
cook me some fucking eggs! |
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Little Black Francis
> Teenager of the Year <
3648 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 05:12:23
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| 4 hour broadcast, 4 15 minute quarters, but the clock stops every time the ball goes out of bounds, incomplete pass etc. and there are a good bit of time outs. Regular season games last nearly 3 hours, so there's only really an extra hour of hoopla |
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andyn
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
169 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 05:14:37
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| I don't think they stop the game just for commercials - the game stops after each passage of play anyway, which gives the TV network an opportunity to put on an advert. |
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Thomas
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1615 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 05:20:51
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I have a hard enough time trying to teach my wife what's going on, and she's in the same room watching with me.
Anyway, here goes..
Yes the game is one hour, but it is not consecutive. The time does not just tick away like in your football. There are four quarters that are 15 min each. A standard game from start to finish usually goes for three hours. Commercials, time outs, dropped passes, running out of bounds and player injuries all contribute to the clock stopping.
The Super Bowl has alot of pre-game and half time activity that make up the fourth hour you speak. The normal NFL (national football league) watcher such as myself could do without all the fan fare, but all that fan fare is not for the normal NFL watcher. The NFL is banking on the people like you, the international fan or the gambler who bets on the coin toss and much more or the guy or girl who is on the fence about becoming a fan. Most of all they bank on the commercials, 2 million for 30 seconds.
I'll be watching as a long suffering, 20 year + ticket holder, J-E-T-S JETS JETS fan knowing that the coach of the Patriots should be ours. 
Join the Cult of Little Black Francis / Our Love is Rice and Beans and Horses Lard |
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benji
> Teenager of the Year <
New Zealand
3426 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 06:06:05
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quote:
Originally posted by andyn
I don't think they stop the game just for commercials - the game stops after each passage of play anyway, which gives the TV network an opportunity to put on an advert.
all i know is my bro said that this guy would run onto the field with a sign saying advert break while the game was going on.
guess it musta been during one of the stoppages, but he never said that, but then again, it's a much better story if it isn't.
additionally, i find the process of all the stoppages bizarre...this is coming from a rugby standpoint, where the big wigs of the game are continually trying to rejig the rules to stop just stoppages occuring because it disrupts any flow of the game - but i guess thats one of the fundamental differences between american football and rugby/soccer etc.
cook me some fucking eggs! |
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TarTar
* Dog in the Sand *
1965 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 06:13:37
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"One thing I don't understand is that average American movie-goers cannot watch a movie for three hours, yet they'll watch a stupid, boring, horrific football game for four hours. Now, that is boredom at its most colossal."
-Quentin Tarantino
Alcohol or pot? VHS or Beta? Man or Astro-man? |
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bedrock_barney
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
871 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 06:24:54
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My wife (then girlfriend) and I watched a baseball game in Montreal a few years ago. We enjoyed it as a one off experience.
Like American Football it seemed to last an age and we became totally bemused when a stage was pushed onto the pitch at one point for a load a scantilly clad females to conduct the crowd into performing the '7th innning stretch'. We guessed this was a regular event. Probably helped the tacos and beer settle into the gut I suppose.
Found the whole thing surreal.
"Join the Cult of the Theremin / It's Velouriatastic!!" |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 07:15:50
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They don't STOP the game for commercials, but they delay restarting it until the commercial break is complete, which I also find hilarious/sad.
 "Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
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BLT
> Teenager of the Year <
South Sandwich Islands
4204 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 08:37:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Adnan_le_Terrible
Don't misunderstand me, I have nothing against American football. It's just that somebody told me that the broadcast lasts 4 hours, out of which only 1 hour of effective game. The rest is for the commercials. How can a human being watch that kind of thing?
You wouldn't ask this question if you knew that the commercials are usually more entertaining than the game. |
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darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5454 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 08:48:16
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quote:
Originally posted by bedrock_barney
My wife (then girlfriend) and I watched a baseball game in Montreal a few years ago. We enjoyed it as a one off experience.
Like American Football it seemed to last an age and we became totally bemused when a stage was pushed onto the pitch at one point for a load a scantilly clad females to conduct the crowd into performing the '7th innning stretch'. We guessed this was a regular event. Probably helped the tacos and beer settle into the gut I suppose.
Found the whole thing surreal.
"Join the Cult of the Theremin / It's Velouriatastic!!"
The seventh inning is a longstanding tradition where people stand and sing "Take me out to the ballgame". I don't think there's any reason to be cynical about it; it's a tradition. |
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darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5454 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 08:49:22
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| If you Tivo a football game, it takes maybe an hour to watch. |
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Little Black Francis
> Teenager of the Year <
3648 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 08:51:15
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| The 4 hours of the game is nothing compared to the 2 weeks before when every fucking channel is preveiwing the game. That shit gets old. Just play the fucking game already! I want something else to be on sportscenter other than people talking about a game that hasn't been played yet. |
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VoVat
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
9168 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 08:55:08
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I'm not a football (or any sport, really) fan myself, and the game does strike me as stopping and starting WAY too much. I guess for people who watch the Superbowl, though, it's not just a game, but an event. And some people watch it just FOR the commercials.
As a non-sports person, I have to say that I find post-game shows and the like to be considerably more annoying than the games themselves. How much is there to say about one game, really? Apparently a lot.
-Nathan
And how does lemur's skin reflect the sea?
http://vovat.blogspot.com/ |
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darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5454 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 09:54:29
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| The pregame show is like foreplay. It's suppose to make you crave the game. Just don't lose it before the kickoff. |
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ProverbialCereal
- FB TabMaster -
USA
2953 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 10:43:29
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Some people will watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials. I'm sure some people pretend the actual football game is the real commercial and the advertisements are where it's at.
I do like watching the Super Bowl, especially when the Baltimore Ravens were in it. Now when I watch the Super Bowl, I don't sit there for 4 straight hours. I'll leave for 20 minutes, go play guitar, get on the computer, eat some nachos. Though I'm sure some people don't get off the couch unless they have to piss.
 "Screw the Pixies. Gunn is going to reunite Vallhalla!" |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 12:38:26
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| I think it's all about the big spectacle. I can't see 'soccer'(ahem) taking off in the US anytime soon. American football seems to be dominated by commercials and hype. Having said that 'soccer'(ahem again) is all about money these days. |
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Steak n Sabre
* Dog in the Sand *
Uzbekistan
1013 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 12:46:13
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No one has mentioned the biggest reason people watch this game - Gambling.
Well, that and the Pixies playing at halftime....
The Cult of Frank: Currently freezing our collective @#%*#%@'s off. |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 13:01:55
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| Er, when have THEY ever played at a ball game? |
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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 13:20:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Thomas
I'll be watching as a long suffering, 20 year + ticket holder, J-E-T-S JETS JETS fan knowing that the coach of the Patriots should be ours.
Join the Cult of Little Black Francis / Our Love is Rice and Beans and Horses Lard
Yeah JETS! Where ya from? I"m a jersey boy and lifelong Jets fan
-brian
- "I joined the Cult of Frank / And they tried to cut off my nuts and make me put in a blue jumpsuit"
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El Barto
= Song DB Master =
USA
4020 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 14:03:02
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I think it's funny how Super Bowl commercials have become such a huge part of our society...it's all anyone talks about the next day, really. Go go Gadget Consumerism! The beauty of the internet is that you can catch most of the commercials online without watching that stupid fucking game. Sports are stupid.
 "Join the Cult of Brit / And let your oral hygiene go out the window." |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 14:04:46
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| "Try a Super Bowl of corn-chex!" |
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SpudBoy
= Cult of Ray =
Equatorial Guinea
649 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2004 : 22:35:26
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I try to avoid sales pitches, and have never understood the appeal of footbal (american or otherwise). I have a nice Birthday Party dvd that will fill the time gap nicely, or maybe I'll make some weird noises of my own!
 I looked for a cult to join, then decided to just play "Sink". Hey! I sank WallaWalla Washington! |
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realmeanmotorscutor
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1764 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 06:19:51
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Oh God, what time does this horror show start Eastern time? I have to work at a recreation center on Sun and they will be watching it there. I'll be forced to watch it!! I go in at 8:30. Please tell me it starts at 5pm!!! pleeease!
 "I joined the Cult of Popeye / The CoF required my good eye" |
Edited by - realmeanmotorscutor on 01/31/2004 06:20:23 |
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Cookie
- FB Fan -
USA
82 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 06:25:12
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| The Superbowl is also an excues to socialize. Everyone has Superbowl parties, with many times the game being secondary to just hanging out (often the game is a blowout and there is very little to watch). People aren't really any different in the U.S., contrary to what many believe. |
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BLT
> Teenager of the Year <
South Sandwich Islands
4204 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 07:45:18
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| Cookie is right. If the game sucks, there's always the beer and BBQ. And other people. |
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darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5454 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 11:02:24
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| The Superbowl has been pretty awesome the last few years, if you like football. You can't beat 2 out of the last 3 years having a last second field goal to win the thing and a final play that ends a foot away from a touchdown and winning (or tying, I can't remember) the thing. |
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NimrodsSon
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1938 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 13:03:20
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I hate football and all sports for that matter. It just seems like a huge waste of time to sit and watch people throw a ball around for 4 hours
Join the Cult Of Gunn / and you'll never need a hair stylist again" |
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Crispy Water
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
819 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 13:51:52
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According to The Score (Canadian sports network), the current estimate is that the city of Houston will make $336M for the event, and worldwide some 6 billion dollars (with a B!) will be wagered on the game. Now do you understand the Americans? Nah, neither do I. People really can't find a more useful way to blow cash?
Nothing is ever something. |
Edited by - Crispy Water on 01/31/2004 13:54:26 |
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SpudBoy
= Cult of Ray =
Equatorial Guinea
649 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 16:01:48
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Why limit this to the US? I don't think we've ever had a soccer-football riot that killed multiple fans. Seems to happen fairly often in other parts of the world. You never hear of "baseball hooligans". Hockey is boxing on skates! I don't dig sports in general, but I think that the obsessive-fan-turned-idiot syndrome extends far beyond the borders of one nation.
I looked for a cult to join, then decided to just play "Sink". Hey! I sank WallaWalla Washington! |
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IceCream
= Quote Accumulator =
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 16:29:53
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Cookie makes a good point. I personally do not know anyone who watches a Superbowl in the same way that they would watch a movie. People who watch the superbowl normally invite their friends to watch. Socialization and eating, therefore, can normally take its place during the course of the superbowl. The superbowl (and many other sports for that matter) can be watched with the sound completely turned off, and many people don't even bother watching the halftime show. I think people just like to see what good plays were made, who won, how the score develops throughout the game, et cetera, so therefore, it's not something that one has to stare at attentively for four hours: there is room for other minor things.
However, this opinion is merely based on the evidence that I have collected.
_________________________
Tim, the only one who laughs |
Edited by - IceCream on 01/31/2004 16:33:05 |
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BLT
> Teenager of the Year <
South Sandwich Islands
4204 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 17:23:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Crispy Water
Now do you understand the Americans? Nah, neither do I. People really can't find a more useful way to blow cash?
News flash: some (about half, in fact) of the people who bet win their bets, you know. Some people watch it without betting. Must you people dissect every aspect of American culture? |
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apl4eris
~ Abstract Brain ~
USA
4800 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 18:01:18
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I agree BLT. I think spudboy also spoke to that point very well.
"Wir müssen wissen. Wir werden wissen." |
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glacial906
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1738 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2004 : 20:52:09
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I have tried to be interested in sports, just to have something to talk about with the guys at work the next day, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
Take me, break me, tell me a good one and maybe I'll cry
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Topic |
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Superbowl : I don't understand the Americans
