I've heard a lot of radio/tv personalities say that "The NFL is virtually year-round now...", yet I don't hear the same statement about the NBA. Maybe it's just me, but the NBA feels a lot more year-round than the NFL. You've got the season from November to April, then playoffs from late April to mid/late June, the draft on one of the last day's of June, summer league and the beginning of free agency in July, training camp in late September/early October, and preseason from mid to late October before the season starts again. It seems the only down time is August and September, but in recent years our stars have been participating in international play during those months too. I'm not a real big NFL fan, so if someone could do a break down of their calendar, I'd appreciate it. I could be wrong, and I just want to see how they compare.
I believe that statement is made in the context of NFL players basically having to be in training all year round now with "Voluntary" minicamps and "optional" off-season workout that are anything but.... Maybe 10-20 years ago, this didn't really occur, players bascially took off in Jan/Feb and didn't report back till late summer. Hell go back far enough and a lot of NFL players had summer jobs doing something else.
NFL Calendar is like this... September - December : Regular Season January : Playoffs. February : usually the Super Bowl the first week and then the Pro Bowl. March : Free Agency Signing period begins. NFL Combine is held. Big month for scouting all the rookies entering the draft. April : NFL Draft usually the second to the last or last weekend in April. Teams begin scouting undrafted players to add to the practice squad. May : Usually teams run maybe 3-4 day mini camps for newly signed minor player free agents trying to make the team and non-drafted free agents and rookies (no vets usually) June : Mostly inactive, though players start preparing for training camp. June 1st is the notable day where you see some big name players get cut. Shaun Alexander may be one of them this season. The reason players are cut on June 1st and not before is purely based on salary. Teams can spread the cap hit over multiple seasons after June 1st. Kind of complicated, but thats a short explanation. July : Training Camps start to open toward the later part of the month, lasting 2-3 weeks. August : Preseason Games all month long. Teams cut rosters from 78 down to 53 + Injured List.
The NFL is more year round b/c their players are hard at work year round...at strip clubs! I can't think of another sport that has more players get into off-season incidents.
i honestly doubt the avg football player does jack during the long offseasons and the concept of 1 game a week is still an enigma to me either way, imo a bball player is the most gifted/talented athlete on the planet - the sport allows you to be free and do anything your body can do whereas in football, there are plenty of scripted positions that look boring as hell (obviously it'd be fun to be a qb or a runner like Allen) ie. MJ/Kobe/Dream/Yao/CP3/Magic
As far as the one game a week thing.....you try taking the kind of abuse those guys take in the span of a regular football game, and tell me if you would be ready to go before one week? It's amazing that they can even walk on Monday after the game, really. Second, as far as most gifted/talented, that's an impossible statement to make. Everything is relative to what you do, especially in team sports. Boxers, wrestlers (yes, even WWE.....you try doing the things they do in a ring), and UFC fighters are JUST as free and probably even MORE flexible than NBA players, and they take a pounding on top of that. Baseball players have INSANE eye-hand coordination.....try hitting a ball flying at you at different trajectories going 95mph.....then try fielding that same ball flying back AT you at the same speed. Soccer players have the endurance of marathon runners, and legs like cannons. I played Right Back and Keeper for my high school (state champs baby!) and I can tell you that your reflexes have to be second to none. As far as "boring as hell", that's a personal preference that YOU have, which is perfectly fine, but that doesn't make it fact. I think watching Offensive Lineman pull and push their opponents to give their RB's 6 inches of room to run in is actually fascinating, and that's what makes football one of the most intricate sports out there. And if you really think basketball players are the most gifted in the world, I suggest you watch Eddy Curry play for a week, then get back to me.
the football hype is more because its only 16 plus games. i mean if it was more ppl wouldnt sell out every single game. its smart cuz its so few games and you appreciate them all.
Also, you cannot be the best at your craft and "do jack" during the offseason. The offseason for these guys is a strictly regimented training program of running, weight-lifting, agility training, and core training mixed in with a strict diet. No matter WHAT sport you're in, if you're a professional, your body is a fine-tuned machine. Even the slightest kink in your routine will throw your body out of whack for weeks. I'm sorry, but your post really just rubs me the wrong way. It's one thing not to enjoy watching a sport, there's nothing wrong with that. However, please don't sell ANY athlete short. The things they do are incredible, and they work hard at what they do.
In my opinion, I think when the media says stuff like that it's because of the interest level. Basketball is obviously in season a lot longer than football, but football seems to a much better job of generating buzz during the offseason. Preseason, the draft, and free agency are much more heavily followed and reported on for the NFL. Of course, now with the instant news cycle and seemingly limitless updates on the internet, a fan of any sport can spend everyday reading news on whatever they want.
Eric hit the nail on the head! When the media mentions the NFL being year-round, they are talking about the general interest of the fans in the activities of the teams. Many in the national media don't really believe the NBA season is meaningful until about late-February/March when teams being to position themselves for the playoffs since the season is "so long." They also believe that any news from the NFL, even during the offseason, generates a great deal of buzz (i.e. Chad Johnson situation at the moment, Pacman Jones, Gene Upshawn).
