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What's the appeal of watching college football?

Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:03 am
Posted by Big Ghana Soccer Fan
D.C.
Member since Aug 2022
8 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:03 am
Like, our city is mainly just pro sports and our schools are purely academic. I never went to a school that had a d1 program and was wondering why it's so popular in the south and not in the northeast? Like the biggest radio show here talks Yankees, Knicks, and NY Rangers hockey.
Rutgers and Syracuse never gets talked about, ever. How do you get into watching it without a team to root for? Asking for advice as an outsider looking in.
Posted by UltimaParadox
North Carolina
Member since Nov 2008
51558 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:05 am to
What's the appeal of soccer
Posted by UKWildcats
Lexington, KY
Member since Mar 2015
18829 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:08 am to
Go home yankee.
Posted by supersaints9
Colleyville,Tx
Member since Dec 2009
18994 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:09 am to
It’s too late for you. Stick to soccer
Posted by CoachDon
Louisville
Member since Sep 2014
12409 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:10 am to
quote:

Big Ghana



Ghana and American College Football is about the same as Ghana and the Ghana Ice Hockey National Team.

Posted by TrumpedUpVol
Member since Sep 2020
584 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:11 am to
quote:

Like, our city is mainly just pro sports and our schools are purely academic.


quote:

purely academic


quote:

pro sports


quote:

Ghana


I've played a lot of GeoGuessr, buddy, so you aren't fooling me.
Posted by TrumpTakeTheWheel
MAGAVille, Down-voted by libs only
Member since Jun 2022
380 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:13 am to
You should know that the NFL and MLB didn't have a lot of expansion in the south until the 60s and 70s and later in the 90s. The south had college football really since the 1800s and became very popular in the 30s and 40s.

These teams did very well on a national level and just over time it became tradition. College football was something that most of watched on Saturdays. It was part of life. In the 2000's the SEC really became the premier conference (we already knew it was great).

If you're in the NE and trying to get into college football, you may want to stick to NFL/NHL. NE college teams will never be more than interesting. And if you're not Southern you may not ever really get SEC football.
This post was edited on 8/12/22 at 9:15 am
Posted by coachcrisp
pensacola, fl
Member since Jun 2012
30912 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:15 am to
quote:

How do you get into watching it without a team to root for? Asking for advice as an outsider looking in.

There are actually a large number of us who attended these very schools....weird, ain't it?
Posted by ReversePiggie
In non-Arkansas US
Member since Sep 2021
4231 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:17 am to
You answered your own question. The quality of football product at Rutgers and Syracuse are just not worthy of attention. Yours or anyone elses... which is why your media focuses on other professional sports.

ETA: aren't there professional soccer teams up there? I find it interesting that you mention coverage of the other 3 professional sports, but not something you have enough interest in to put it in your name.
This post was edited on 8/12/22 at 9:21 am
Posted by Murph4HOF
A-T-L-A-N-T-A (that's where I stay)
Member since Sep 2019
17638 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:18 am to
Somebody come get ya alter
Posted by Arkapigdiesel
Faulkner County
Member since Jun 2009
15431 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:18 am to
quote:

Like
quote:

Like

Teenage girl talk

[x] Engaged
[ ] Not Engaged
Posted by MoarKilometers
Member since Apr 2015
20644 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:22 am to
OP gave me Ghana-rrhea
Posted by gamecockman12
Columbia, SC
Member since Aug 2012
8009 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:23 am to
Posted by CBP3110
Member since Aug 2012
6599 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:23 am to
Like why are you on Tigerdroppings?
Posted by TheTideMustRoll
Birmingham, AL
Member since Dec 2009
10279 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:39 am to
I'm going to potentially waste my time and assume OP is a serious post.

College football is actually the original form of the game. It was invented and played on college campuses. The pros didn't come along until decades later. As others mentioned, when pro football did come around it was mostly a northern thing. In the South college football continued to be the focus. Southerners in general have a lot of state pride, and state pride oftentimes gets expressed down here through love of the college football team representing your state. It will be hard to truly "get" SEC football without at least being in the South, if not actually from here, but that doesn't mean it might not still be enjoyable to you. When the season starts watch the big games. If you enjoy them and continue to watch each weekend you'll probably eventually gravitate to a team to pull for. Let it happen organically without trying to force it.

If you really want to get something approximating the full effect, look up local watch parties for the games and go there to watch them. If you're in NYC I guarantee you'll find alumni and fan groups that get together at a bar somewhere every weekend. That way you get some of the fan experience.

In fact, here you go. Alabama's NYC alumni chapter holds watch parties. Info can be found here.
This post was edited on 8/12/22 at 9:41 am
Posted by TeddyWestside
Georgia
Member since Jul 2017
3156 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:40 am to
Posted by Ping Pong
LSU and UVA alum
Member since Aug 2014
6020 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:47 am to
The south's strong love and focus on college football goes back to the early 1900s when pro teams formed in the northeastern cities but very few in the south due to few major cities. This meant the small rural communities in the south relied on universities to provide athletic entertainment. This resulted in the southern college football programs receiving significant support early on, which built the foundation southern college football stands on today. Even today, there are few pro teams in the south compared to the more densely populated areas.

Supporting your team means supporting your state, local region, school, culture, etc. Its wonderful for locals and alumni, but I understand why it would not appeal to outsiders.
However, the traditions, fight songs, marching bands, unique mascots, and rivalries create an experience like no other sport. That is the heart of college football as a whole, not the just the south. We don't have to worry about our team being sold and moving to a city across the country. Our schools and teams are a core piece to our communities

The college game itself has an enormous appeal if you love football. It differs greatly from the NFL in terms of diversity in schemes and strategy. NFL teams are all built very similarly, but in college football you can watch a west coast spread offense face a heavy run team with massive linemen. If you love X's and O's then you will love college football. Many people complain about the structure of the post-season, and I agree there's plenty of problems, but it also has an appeal. For all championship contending teams, every game matters. A team wont be sneaking into the playoffs with an 8-4 record. Leagues like the NBA and MLB are the exact opposite. Who cares if you team wins or loses in the first half of the season? There's 90 more games to play. Those leagues are too diluted with games.

Another criticism I have of pro sports is the obsession's and focus on particular players as the entire identity of the team. It baffles me that NBA fans change their favorite team to whoever Lebron is currently playing for. Team loyalty in college football is very very strong. I couldn't comprehend changing my favorite team over a single player. It would also be frustrating for a rival team to have a legendary player for decades. Poor Jets fans had to watch their team get smoked by Tom Brady for 20 years. In college football, every team has entirely new players every few years.


Lastly, I think the "upsets" in college football are very unique and highly entertaining. If the Jaguars defeated the Rams next season in the NFL, would it be that shocking? No, because even the worst team in the NFL has talent not from from that of the super bowl champions. But what if a small school in the mountains of North Carolina defeated the #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines in their own house? A college football blue blood losing to a school no one had even heard of at the time in 2007. That's entertainment.

Posted by slowmoe
Member since Mar 2022
600 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:48 am to
In the South, Sundays are for the lord. Not to see some overpaid jocks play a game.
Posted by Hback
Member since Aug 2017
12896 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:52 am to
quote:

Like, our city is mainly just pro sports
Like the biggest radio show here talks Yankees, Knicks, and NY Rangers hockey.


Posted by MacMan10
Atlanta, GA
Member since Oct 2020
2338 posts
Posted on 8/12/22 at 9:54 am to
You merely adopted college football, I was born in it

This post was edited on 8/12/22 at 9:55 am
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