Question for old-school football viewers

[DWFan]

For you guys who've been watching the sport for a long time, I was wondering if you could give me your impressions about how much more time of a televised game is devoted to commercials compared to the older days. Also, I'm wondering if anybody knows how to find some sort of media guide for the NFL (assuming one exists) that explains exactly at what points in the game advertisements are allowed/encouraged/prohibited. Thanks.

 

[Don Wassall]

I've speculated that up to half a game is commercials. Anyone who has the DirecTV package of all the games each Sunday can attest to that, as on average half the games at any given time are on commercial break, often showing the exact same commercials only a few seconds apart.


Here's the basic formula that I've discerned: The first series of a game is shown; if it's more than a three and out they cut to break after it's over. Then, after every score there's a commercial break, then another one after the ensuing kickoff. Every time a team calls timeout, there's a commercial break. Change of possession? Comercial break. Every time a player writhes on the turf and won't leave the field of play (or acts dead, almost always blacks), there's a commercial break. A replay challenge? Commercial break. Not enough replay challenges or pseudo-dead players on the field? The referee then will call timeouts so that the network can go to commercial break.


If the allotment of commercials is shown, then games don't cut to break at the usual timestowards the end of the first half and second half.


Some years back the rule stopping the clock when a player goes out of bounds was changed (except for at the end of a half), not to speed up the game but to allow for more endless commercials. I've tried to search a couple of times to find theamount of timethe averagethree-hour game is on commercial break, but whatever the exact percentage is, it's obscenely high.

 

[DWFan]

Mr. Wassall, that's probably a more accurate view than I'll get from a media guide (if I find one). Do you know which force has the stronger input into rule changes and other conditioning leading to more advertisements--the league or the networks?

 

[Cassiodorus]

What's really changed is the ratio of idiot commentary to playing time. When I was a kid, if the game started at 1, whatever was on before ended at 12:59, and the game began, with very little chatter up front. I miss that, and I refuse to watch all the superfluous BS with Terry, Howard, Jimmy, and the hordes of mush-mouthed blacks.

 

[Don Wassall]

Mr. Wassall, that's probably a more accurate view than I'll get from a media guide (if I find one). Do you know which force has the stronger input into rule changes and other conditioning leading to more advertisements--the league or the networks?

It's a mutually advantageous partnership. Football has always beenthe bestsport to watch on TV and television is in great part responsible for the NFL's rise, beginning in the 1960s, to become America's uncontested secular religion.


The networks and the NFL bargain each time the TV contracts come up for renewal. The league tries to extract as much $ as possible from the networks, which are played against each other, and in return for their many billions of dollarsthe networks bargain for as many commercial minutes per game as possible.


There's a lot of greed involved involved on both sides. TV money helps make NFL teams extremely profitable, and the networks make lots of money because there has always been advertisers eager to buy up time during games at whatever the going price per30 secondshas been.


Whether the status quo will hold as thedeveloping depression continues to set in remains to be seen. To many DWFs the team they root for is the most important thing in their lives, and on a year-round basis. The popularity of gambling and fantasy football also are important factors in fans putting up with an often lousy product with its endless commercials. Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[sport historian]

I can remember watching the NFL on TV in 1958, age 8. Play has been stopped for commercials for as long as a network has broadcast the games. In 1958, the announcers would say: "And now, let's pause for a moment." After the TV ad, the action would resume.

There weren't as many commercials in the old days, but they had them. Occasionally, some sportswriters would criticize this practice. The one coach I can remember complaining was Vince Lombardi. After the 1965 NFL Title Game, which Green Bay won over Cleveland 23-12, Lombardi was upset about a TV time-out during an important drive. "It could have broken our momentum and cost us the game," Lombardi was quoted as saying.

Over time, nobody said anything and more and more commercials were put in,as Don says. The NFL has been strictly showbiz at least since 1964. It was about that time that you could really tell.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

What's really changed is the ratio of idiot commentary to playing time. When I was a kid, if the game started at 1, whatever was on before ended at 12:59, and the game began, with very little chatter up front. I miss that, and I refuse to watch all the superfluous BS with Terry, Howard, Jimmy, and the hordes of mush-mouthed blacks.

I agree, and I'm just 30.

 

[DWFan]

Informative replies; thanks a lot.

 

[DWFan]

Here is a pretty interesting article from the 2005 season, if anybody wants to read it.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Feb-02-Wed-2005/ news/25782921.html

Mr. Wassall, is there a preferred forum space where we could discuss NFL advertising gambits and how they affect the game? If you guys are interested, I'll try to do my part and do some research on it.