Why English Premier Football is a better fan experience than the National Football League.

[limitles]

First off I realize this is somewhat apples and oranges but I'm basically talking about entertainment value here. The fact that they are both called football helps.

In no particular order…


Field of play
The grass is greener. For me part of the viewing experience is based on natural turf.
It's simply more pleasurable to look at a natural green turf as compared to artificial turf.
Yes some of the new turfs are better aesthetically but you can't beat the real thing
There are those that say artificial turf brings more certainty to the game, a "level" playing field if you will.
I say balderdash to that. Some of the best football games ever have been played under horrible field conditions on natural turf.


Stadiums
Generally smaller than the NFL most EPL stadiums provide a better viewing experience. Fans are closer to the action. Enough said.
Being outdoors again adds to the experience. You don't smell the person next to you as much as you would indoors


The Clock
This may be the most important factor of all. Most NFL games run approximately 3 hours. Of this time you get under 20 minutes of on field action.
At home this means you're basically watching commercials.
The EPL runs two 45 minute halfs with added penalty time (the clock never stops) and this translates to NO commercials. Unbeatable.


Players
Basically no equipment in soccer so player identification is a big plus for the sport.
This is especially important when you're new to the game.


The League
This topic is not so cut and dried. First of all there are no playoffs. At first glance this seems ridiculous for a North American. The playoffs are everything here. If you can squeak into the playoffs then the unthinkable can sometimes happen.

In the EPL as we see today, the title is basically wrapped up with a few months to play.
The only drama from regular season play is relegation. Relegation drops the bottom three teams out of the league. That's plenty dramatic for those teams.
The argument for the playoff system is valid but it means the regular season is often less meaningful.
Winning team gets 3 points, 1 each for a tie. No overtime. This puts the NHL point system to shame.


Penalties
The penalty system is beautifully simple. Commit an average foul and you get a yellow card.
A second similar foul and you are sent off with a red card and your team plays short handed. An egregious foul can bring about an instant red.
I think you also miss the next couple of games if red carded.
The referee has a more important role. They typically gather the offended and offender and give them a good talking to.


Fans
No chance of matching the passion of the fans. The experience of being there must be great as the fans for both teams spend much of their time singing or chanting.
Even through the television this is impressive.
The opposing team fans travel in large numbers and are designated seats together at one end of the field. Nothing like it here.

[NaturalBornHustler]

HAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA.

[Walter Sobchak]

Completely agree on the field. Fuck turf and domes, that shit is for pussies.

I like soccer but there's no way to compare the two sports. Football is god.

[SrslySirius]

Football is boring. Sometimes the action gets intense, but for the most part it's loss of passing, punting, turnovers and not much of interest happening.

Football has a major problem with flopping. This alone makes me instantly dislike the sport, and reinforces the perception Americans have that it's a game for sissies.

Football routinely ends in draws. Any sport that consistently fails to determine a winner is flawed.

American Football may have less play time, but the majority of that time is action-packed, violent, and thrilling. Few sports can boast this.

All that said, this stuff is a matter of opinion. I don't like football, but I can see why some people do. I'm not going to judge someone for liking football, and snooty Europeans that thumb their noses at American football can fuck off.

[Deal]

American Football may have less play time, but the majority of that time is action-packed, violent, and thrilling. Few sports can boast this.

I think if you cut out all the walking around, huddling, waiting for the replay officials to do their job etc, you get about 15 minutes of action. And it is quality action with a very high element of sideline strategy unlike any other sport. If what you describe is what you really like then you should really go north and try hockey. Not televised hockey as that is only a taste of the real experience. You need some front row seats to take in the full experience.

[SrslySirius]

I think if you cut out all the walking around, huddling, waiting for the replay officials to do their job etc, you get about 15 minutes of action. And it is quality action with a very high element of sideline strategy unlike any other sport. If what you describe is what you really like then you should really go north and try hockey. Not televised hockey as that is only a taste of the real experience. You need some front row seats to take in the full experience.

I never got into hockey, since there's never been a major team in my area. I do follow Team USA every winter olympics, and it's always a great time. Hockey seems a like a fantastic sport, and is everything footie should be but falls short.

I'll add attending a hockey game to my bucket list.

[limitles]

Football is boring. Sometimes the action gets intense, but for the most part it's loss of passing, punting, turnovers and not much of interest happening.

Football has a major problem with flopping. This alone makes me instantly dislike the sport, and reinforces the perception Americans have that it's a game for sissies.

Football routinely ends in draws. Any sport that consistently fails to determine a winner is flawed.

American Football may have less play time, but the majority of that time is action-packed, violent, and thrilling. Few sports can boast this.

All that said, this stuff is a matter of opinion. I don't like football, but I can see why some people do. I'm not going to judge someone for liking football, and snooty Europeans that thumb their noses at American football can fuck off.

Two of your points are indeed common misconceptions that I certainly heard before becoming a fan. The flopping or diving issue is no different than in hockey or other team sports. The refs are certainly on top of this and it just doesn't happen as much as you might think. Instant replay confirms this.

Your second point also not a fact.

Sunday 10 February 2013
16:00	Man Utd	2 - 0	Everton	Old Trafford
13:30	Aston Villa	2 - 1	West Ham	Villa Park

Saturday 9 February 2013
17:30	Southampton	3 - 1	Man City	St. Mary's Stadium
15:00	Chelsea	4 - 1	Wigan	Stamford Bridge
15:00	Norwich	0 - 0	Fulham	Carrow Road
15:00	Stoke	2 - 1	Reading	Britannia Stadium
15:00	Sunderland	0 - 1	Arsenal	Stadium of Light
15:00	Swansea	4 - 1	QPR	Liberty Stadium
12:45	Tottenham	2 - 1	Newcastle	White Hart Lane

There are many sites with the score lines from each week and you can go back to the beginning of the season and you'll see there are indeed very few nil nil draws.

BTW......Houston should be the shame of the NFL having an indoor stadium. That is sad.

[SrslySirius]

Football is boring. Sometimes the action gets intense, but for the most part it's loss of passing, punting, turnovers and not much of interest happening.

Football has a major problem with flopping. This alone makes me instantly dislike the sport, and reinforces the perception Americans have that it's a game for sissies.

Football routinely ends in draws. Any sport that consistently fails to determine a winner is flawed.

American Football may have less play time, but the majority of that time is action-packed, violent, and thrilling. Few sports can boast this.

All that said, this stuff is a matter of opinion. I don't like football, but I can see why some people do. I'm not going to judge someone for liking football, and snooty Europeans that thumb their noses at American football can fuck off.

Two of your points are indeed common misconceptions that I certainly heard before becoming a fan. The flopping or diving issue is no different than in hockey or other team sports. The refs are certainly on top of this and it just doesn't happen as much as you might think. Instant replay confirms this.

Your second point also not a fact.

Sunday 10 February 2013
16:00	Man Utd	2 - 0	Everton	Old Trafford
13:30	Aston Villa	2 - 1	West Ham	Villa Park

Saturday 9 February 2013
17:30	Southampton	3 - 1	Man City	St. Mary's Stadium
15:00	Chelsea	4 - 1	Wigan	Stamford Bridge
15:00	Norwich	0 - 0	Fulham	Carrow Road
15:00	Stoke	2 - 1	Reading	Britannia Stadium
15:00	Sunderland	0 - 1	Arsenal	Stadium of Light
15:00	Swansea	4 - 1	QPR	Liberty Stadium
12:45	Tottenham	2 - 1	Newcastle	White Hart Lane

There are many sites with the score lines from each week and you can go back to the beginning of the season and you'll see there are indeed very few nil nil draws.

BTW......Houston should be the shame of the NFL having an indoor stadium. That is sad.

I see flopping every time I watch football. I never see it in the NFL.

I don't see what Houston's stadium has to do with anything, but it's not really an indoor arena. It has a retractable roof that is frequently left open.

[Wiganer]

what the fuck is flopping?

[DRK Star]

what the fuck is flopping?

[SrslySirius]

what the fuck is flopping?

[limitles]

what the fuck is flopping?

Two things, there are only a fraction of American football games played compared to real football games.

And I don't think there were any diving instances in that video that originated from the EPL.

[Belly Buster]

Not just the players that go down like a sack o' spuds

[SrslySirius]

I guess they're not diving after all...

[DirtyB]

I respect soccer, but pretty much only tune in for the World Cup.

I do not understand why they only have one official on the field and no replay. With so much on the line, they need to have 3 officials and replay whenever the refs feel they need it.

[Belly Buster]

I respect soccer, but pretty much only tune in for the World Cup.

I do not understand why they only have one official on the field and no replay. With so much on the line, they need to have 3 officials and replay whenever the refs feel they need it.

The reason for this, rightly or wrongly, is that the sport's governing bodies have always said that the game should be the same be it the world cup final or a sunday league kickabout on Hackney Marshes.

With the huge commercial pressures, this ideal will change staeting with the introduction of goal-line technology to provide an instant decision on whether the ball crosses the goal line or not.

[theoptician]

as much as i love soccer the game is getting ruined with the cheats. a gust of wind can drop a player who then gets carried off
recovers as soon as he hits the line and is back on in seconds .
its not great when u see players gather around the ref begging him to send another player off. rugby now thats a game. six nations on atm unfortunatly england beat us 2 day.

[Lord of the Fraud]

I can understand why an American would say the NFL is more attractive than the EPL as that's the sport they've grown up with. Could take the same argument to a poker forum in China and you'd get a bunch of gooks telling you why ping pong was the more attractive sport. Same would apply to any country I guess.

But the fact is that billions of people watch football on a regular basis, while you only have around 200 million who watch American football on the regular. And there's a clear reason for that............


Also personally I've attended well over 500 EPL games over the years and can say with absolute bias/certainty that our league is, and has always been, the best in the world.


The 2 sports just don't compare. Miles apart on all levels.

[badguy23]

Put the godamn James Ready 5.5 down for Christ sake Les.. It's fucking up your judgement again.

[needless2say]

The offside rule is stupid. It was when I played, and still is now. You want to keep a striker in the box to cherry pick? Fine, that's just one less player back on defense. That's the sacrifice. Fucking joke rule with an invisible line dictating the flow of attack.

And the flopping is the biggest act of faggotry in sports.