NFL football is far and away the most popular sport in America right now, but it's less about the players and the game itself then it is the gambling and fantasy aspects that go with it.
Case in point, the injury to New England Patriots QB Tom Brady. With one of its big stars sidelined the NFL barely skips a beat. New stars are born, new fantasy football greats emerge and the Patriots give less points in Las Vegas.
In the NFL stars are not only marketed differently but they just plain don't mean as much. In a sport where players were helmets on the field and the average career is shorter than a presidential race, it really is "the name on the front of the jersey that matters."
This issue of being recognizable can't be ignored. NBA stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are not only easier to market but their faces are more familiar due to their non-intrusive apparel. Even baseball players just wear hats. Hidden inside that helmet is not a star but the key to hitting that "over" bet or getting enough points to beat out your old college buddy in your fantasy league that week.
None of this is to say that there are no true NFL fans, who root hard for their team win or lose and don't play fantasy football or bet on the games each week. It's just that they are in the minority.
None of this is to say that there are no true NFL fans, who root hard for their team win or lose and don't play fantasy football or bet on the games each week. It's just that they are in the minority.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, Nevada sportsbooks took in more than $92 million in bets for last year's Super Bowl alone - a figure that doesn't even include all the money wagered online.
With pro football, though, there is more than just betting on the Super Bowl. Every week millions of eager Americans pour over the lines hoping to find that right combination to hit it big. The anticipation and betting action builds all week until Sunday finally arrives.
I can sum it up best with this story. Late last Sunday night I got two expletive-laced text messages from friends that in essence said, "Why didn't the Steelers kick that field goal?" Up four points with 30 seconds to go, the Pittsburgh Steelers had elected to go for it on fourth down in Cleveland territory due to the windy conditions instead of attempting a tough field goal try.
Considering the situation, it was a logical move. For the people who bet money on the Steelers, this was not a sufficient argument. See, according to the sportsbooks Pittsburgh needed to cover a 6.5 point spread - win by seven points - if you chose them. A field goal would have filled this void.
Instead, Pittsburgh won by four. It was a nice, hard-fought road win on a brutal night in Ohio. For those, including two of my friends who had laid money on them to win by seven or more this reasoning meant a lighter wallet.
In other words in an arena where even a half of a point can mean the difference between winning and losing, the way football games are watched even when the outcome is set, means a whole different standard of rules.
Fantasy football started as an archaic exercise for diehards in small underground circles. With the internet it has exploded as a full-fledged phenomenon and everyone is in at least one league.
Most major sports sites like yahoo! offer the game for free, but most people ante up an entry fee that goes to the top couple finishers. Like the gambling and the TV contracts that make football what it is, fantasy football is a business too.
It also hinders business. Chicago-based employment consultant, Challenger, Gray & Christmas concluded in a recent study that fantasy players are costing employers as much as $1.1 billion per week during the NFL season.
In other words in floundering economic times, plenty of time from 9-5 Monday through Friday is spent scouring the waiver wire, reading up on injuries and talking trash to next week's opponent - all from guys who won't get within one hundred yards of the field on Sunday.
While most American sports are played at least a few times a week, football is not. It is that limited exposure, the once-a-week format that makes it so special.
While the NFL rules Sundays across living rooms and local watering holes from coast-to-coast, it is the betting and fantasy football that keeps the nation on edge from Tuesday morning until just before kickoff.
From that last-minute parlay to the decision of who to start at running back, the intrigue of the NFL for most fans goes way beyond the white lines. While ultimately the action on the field dictates the way we react to the extra curricular, the way we watch pro football, shaped by these endeavors, is unlike any other experience.
With pro football, though, there is more than just betting on the Super Bowl. Every week millions of eager Americans pour over the lines hoping to find that right combination to hit it big. The anticipation and betting action builds all week until Sunday finally arrives.
I can sum it up best with this story. Late last Sunday night I got two expletive-laced text messages from friends that in essence said, "Why didn't the Steelers kick that field goal?" Up four points with 30 seconds to go, the Pittsburgh Steelers had elected to go for it on fourth down in Cleveland territory due to the windy conditions instead of attempting a tough field goal try.
Considering the situation, it was a logical move. For the people who bet money on the Steelers, this was not a sufficient argument. See, according to the sportsbooks Pittsburgh needed to cover a 6.5 point spread - win by seven points - if you chose them. A field goal would have filled this void.
Instead, Pittsburgh won by four. It was a nice, hard-fought road win on a brutal night in Ohio. For those, including two of my friends who had laid money on them to win by seven or more this reasoning meant a lighter wallet.
In other words in an arena where even a half of a point can mean the difference between winning and losing, the way football games are watched even when the outcome is set, means a whole different standard of rules.
In addition to the gambling the other vice is fantasy football. This is where the NFL really distances itself from the college game. Because of the roster turnover in college football, fantasy is not nearly as feasible as it is for the pro game.
Most major sports sites like yahoo! offer the game for free, but most people ante up an entry fee that goes to the top couple finishers. Like the gambling and the TV contracts that make football what it is, fantasy football is a business too.
It also hinders business. Chicago-based employment consultant, Challenger, Gray & Christmas concluded in a recent study that fantasy players are costing employers as much as $1.1 billion per week during the NFL season.
In other words in floundering economic times, plenty of time from 9-5 Monday through Friday is spent scouring the waiver wire, reading up on injuries and talking trash to next week's opponent - all from guys who won't get within one hundred yards of the field on Sunday.
While most American sports are played at least a few times a week, football is not. It is that limited exposure, the once-a-week format that makes it so special.
While the NFL rules Sundays across living rooms and local watering holes from coast-to-coast, it is the betting and fantasy football that keeps the nation on edge from Tuesday morning until just before kickoff.
From that last-minute parlay to the decision of who to start at running back, the intrigue of the NFL for most fans goes way beyond the white lines. While ultimately the action on the field dictates the way we react to the extra curricular, the way we watch pro football, shaped by these endeavors, is unlike any other experience.
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