A Geek's Thoughts On Football

Yesterday I went to my first Professional League Football game with my Dad and two "brothers-in-law". Not being a fan sports (football maybe least of all) I brought two fantasy novels, two RPG books, some "Descent" rulebooks and materials I might need to construct a character. I had to condense my reading materials a bit when they turned me away at the door for having a backpack.

Once finally settled into my nosebleed seat, I found that I actually enjoyed watching the plays. I rarely looked at the jumbo screen, since that felt like watching football on tv, which I loathe. (I record the Superbowl and later fast-forward through the game to see the commercials.) Despite the distance from the players, watching the game in action was pretty neat. These guys obviously have a level of skill and physical ability that I will never come close to in this life. However, I've got a few suggestions that I would like to now address to whoever is in charge of football's continued existence:


Dear Mr. Football People,
I think your game is very cool when it is being played. I'm not very fond of all the stopping and starting, however. Would you please consider eliminating all the stopping from the game and just allow the players to continue in their quest to get the deformed ball across that line on the far side? I know you are probably stopping for what you feel are good reasons. There are rules and things, right? That actually brings me to my second point.

I'm not sure I can ever allow a fan of football to tell me that role-playing games are too complex ever again. Your point system is inconsistant. One point here, 7 points there. It's really pretty messy. I'd like to suggest that getting the ball over the line is worth 1 point. And let's just get rid of the big letter Y at the end of each side of the field. Basketball players have a much smaller margine for error and seem to do just fine. I know it might be hard to see through those helmets, but your giant Y is so big that it's a bit of an insult to these fantastic athletes. Give them a chance with a basketball hoop on each end of the field and you might have something really special on your hands.

Now, this is just an observation, but if you are allowed to tackle somebody, why have all these rules about what parts you can and can't touch? These are big tough men, not wimpy little gamers like me. They can take it. Put on a just a little more padding and tell them, "Anything goes. Just get it across that line." This will streamline your rules system and also eliminate those boring stops mid-game. Additionally, without all the resting that the players get now, by the end of the game I think they'll really feel a greater sense of accomplishment.

Thanks so much for your time and consideration,

Paeter