The NFL Might Just Be America's Best Professional Sport, Hear Me Out
Start writing a post

The NFL Might Just Be America's Best Professional Sport, Hear Me Out

The NFL is more competitive and balanced than college football, but it's labeled by many as boring.

108
The NFL Might Just Be America's Best Professional Sport, Hear Me Out
Instagram

The NFL gets too much flack, especially where I'm from, so I'm going to defend the league. No, I'm not going to talk about Kaepernick and the protests. I'm referring to the people who say that the NFL is boring and not as exciting as college football.

The NFL might just be America's best professional sport.

My favorite league is probably the NBA, but even the Association has its flaws.The NFL, like the NCAA basketball tournaments, benefit from one-game knockouts. NBA teams play a seven-game series in every round of the playoffs. Therefore, to beat a great team like the Golden State Warriors four times in seven games is nearly impossible. The madness of March Madness is the possibility of an upset and the low seeds moving on. The NFL sees this most years, too.

What sets the NFL apart from other sports is parity. In the 2018 playoffs, most if not all of the six teams that were in the NFC side had a legitimate chance to win the conference. The Atlanta Falcons were the last seed and dominated the NFC West champs and third-seed Los Angeles Rams on the road. The Falcons then went on the road to Philadelphia and nearly knocked off the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Eagles.

Too often I have heard that the NFL is boring compared to college football. Being from Alabama, I can understand their reasoning. Alabama has no professional sport, so Alabama and Auburn football take the place. Being a fan of a college team is a bit more personal, especially if the fan actually attends the school. In Alabama, a majority of fans I know never actually attend the school for which they root.

There's a fundamental difference that I think puts the NFL over college football.

In the NFL, dynasties rarely occur. The worst team gets the first draft pick, and the Super Bowl champions get the last pick and hardest schedule the next season. That's why a Super Bowl repeat is incredibly rare. One can argue and equate these NFL structures to socialism. No one team dominates year in and year out with the exception of outliers like the New England Patriots.

However, in college football, the same handful of teams will dominate for long stretches of time. The best programs will usually get the best recruits. No matter the teams' records, programs like Ohio State, Alabama, USC, Oklahoma and just a handful of others will always get the most revenue, best facilities, best coaches and thus the best players. Out of the 130 teams in the FBS, only a handful have a chance. And the Playoff Committee is not any closer to allowing a Group of five teams in the playoffs despite UCF's success. So eliminate exactly half of the teams.

Of the 65 Power 5 teams, only a small proportion of those will have a chance at even making the playoffs. The college football playoff teams are decided by a subjective committee who has already taken flack for its decisions in the last few years. NFL teams make the playoffs by earning an automatic bid by winning the division or being one of the wildcard teams.

The NFL has a great balance across the league. This year, college football saw two teams from the same conference play in the national championship. With the way the NFL is set up, this won't happen. Ten of the last 15 Super Bowls have been decided by just one score. In the last 15 Super Bowls, there have been 14 different participants and 10 different winners. The college football playoffs have become the Alabama Invitational.

College football may be more exciting for people who live in Alabama or attend college with a prominent Division I program. But the NFL has a fanbase across the country and is better suited for parity and balance than college football is.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

7409
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

939510
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

116229
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less
New Year Resolutions

It's 2024! You drank champagne, you wore funny glasses, and you watched the ball drop as you sang the night away with your best friends and family. What comes next you may ask? Sadly you will have to return to the real world full of work and school and paying bills. "Ah! But I have my New Year's Resolutions!"- you may say. But most of them are 100% complete cliches that you won't hold on to. Here is a list of those things you hear all around the world.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments