The local and national TV stations (is the phrase "TV station" even relevant with the advent of cable TV?) are all atwitter (no, not that kind of twitter) at the beginning of professional and collegiate football (not to be confused with the round football known everywhere else in the world). Sports writers and commentators wax eloquent about season predictions, this or that player, coaching moves, and (heaven to Betsy) "deflate gate." (The only deflating that concerns me involves the two tires on the Harley in the garage.)
The obscene amounts of money involved in both professional and collegiate football mightily add to my lack of enthusiasm, in spite of all the hoopla being generated in print, on line, on TV, and on the radio. And from a purely sporting perspective, a football game is rather boring.
According to a 2010 Wall Street Journal study mentioned in this article (http://www.nationalsarmrace.com/?p=475), of the 60 minutes allotted for play in a football game, there is an average of 11 minutes of play. It was also reported a 2014 game had 152 advertisements, more than the number of plays from scrimmage. (152 advertisements goes to the earlier observation about the obscene amounts of money in the sport.) So, if the entire time at the stadium or watching on TV equals a rough average of three hours for football (180 minutes), the 11 minutes of play comes out to roughly 6.1% of action. So, yes, football is rather boring.
Conversely, 180 minutes out on the Harley are not boring. Whether on the freeways or back county roads, riding for three hours is an engaging, exhilarating experience, enjoyed (by the way) at a fraction of the cost of attending a football game.
So, after cleaning up and having breakfast and a cup of coffee, it will be bikes, not balls this Saturday.
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