Last week the St. Petersburg Times' Michael Kruse and Eric Deggans wrote about how in this era of lower ratings for television programs due to splintered audiences, the National Football League's ratings have ascended in recent years.
Days like yesterday demonstrate why pro football has such a grip on the mass public's attention.
In a triple header for viewers in the Tampa Bay area, the hometown Buccaneers, who have struggled mightily all season long and seen home attendance plummet in recent weeks, suffered a heartbreaking last second loss to the Miami Dolphins yesterday, 25-23.
The loss occurred despite field goal kicker Conner Barth's record tying three field goals of 50 yards or longer, as well as a spirited effort by number one draft choice, quarterback Josh Freeman, who was lauded today by Times columnist Gary Sheldon as giving Buc fans now "a reason to believe" (also depressing some who are hoping the team continues to falter to be in position to have the number one draft choice in 2010).
But speaking as a fan of two teams who in recent years spent boatloads of money on the number one selection in the draft, it sometimes ain't all it's cracked up to be.
Because of TV and NFL scheduling, viewers in the Tampa market were treated to a game between two of the worst teams in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders, at 4:05 p.m. on the local CBS affiliate, WTSP. (Channel 10 had only one game to show yesterday, and wisely programmed that at 4 p.m., so as not to run head to head against Tampa/Miami).
Being a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a passionate fan of both the 49ers and Oakland Raiders, I was happy not to have to go to a local tavern to watch the game. But I suppose in retrospect that the only benefit of watching from home was that at least I could hear the home town boos.
The Oakland Raiders committed over $25 million in guaranteed money a couple of years ago to JaMarcus Russell, their number one quarterback selection from LSU. The problem is: he's terrible, and doesn't appear to be working very hard at geting better.
A good friend of mine has season tickets to the Raiders, but informed me that not only would be not be attending yesterday's game, but also made sure not to give them away to friends. He wanted to make a statement by having tv cameras glide over his empty seats.
While those 2 games featured some lackluster play, they still had some drama, particularly in Miami.
But the big event of the day (and of the season) took place in Indianapolis, where the New England Patriots/Indianapolis Colts have developed the fiercest rivalry in all of sports, and as great as the Dallas/SF rivalry of the 90's (and yes, go ahead and invoke Al-Frazier for the ultimate rivalry).
The Colts won in stunning, dramatic, last second fashion last night, 35-34, but the big news today is the radical move by Pats head coach Bill Belichick to eschew a punt and go for a first down on his own 28 yard line with just over two minutes to go.
The Pats failed to get the first, and Payton Manning soon had the Colts in the end zone.
The call will be debated for time immemorial, but one thing is for certain: Outside of New England and other spots on the globe were Patriot Nation dominates, fans across the country are reveling in Belichick's faulty move this morning.
Although Belichick's decision will be debated until the next time the clubs meet, Payton Manning's brilliance in the 4th quarter demonstrates why he may soon win an unprecedented 4th MVP later this year.
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2009.