Around the League Thread | Marching to the Trade Deadline

[Canuckle1970]

Polar opposite of the PWHA is the NFL which never changes a rule for anything.

I remember being a kid in the 1990s and being confused as to why kickoffs were so pointless because every kick went through the end zone, and why they didn't just move the kickoff point back 20 yards so you'd actually have a ball in play and a potential for an exciting play?

And 25 or 30 years later ... still the exact same thing. I don't think a single kickoff yesterday was actually caught and returned, and it's totally pointless. But they won't change it.

The NFL made a big change to overtime in 2022 which allows both teams possession time in o/t. Always bugged me that the team that won the frickin coin toss, got to win the game by scoring a touchdown - over and out.

 

[racerjoe]

This is a sport with 100+ years of history.

You could make all sorts of fun crazy gimmick rules that kids would think were cool for a half-season but it just isn't the sport. Hey, if a guy can pick up the puck behind his own goal line and go end-to-end to score, it counts as 2 goals! That would encourage exciting dekes and crazy goals! But it's not hockey and it's just ... not serious.

The sport has a set of rules and history. The only reason those rules should be changed is to fix a significant problem that has developed or to significantly improve the sport. Not, 'wow, we think this would be kinda fun!'

I think we just have a different view of Gimick... like the Jailbreak rule, and maybe making all penalties the full time, (like if a goal is scored on the PP the guy doesn't come out of the box) isn't a rule that I find gimicky. Again maybe in practice I am proven wrong. But trying things... I don't have an issue with.

If it is some other wacky thing sure.

But history is made to be broken and if you get too rigid with what was you are going to be stuck and miss what could make things better.

the 3 pt line in Basketball, removing the red line in hockey, and so on.

Like I remember when the NHL changed the offisde rules from tagging to no tagging, back to tagging... trying isn't wrong... but sticking with can be.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

The Jailbreak is a gimmick with a gimmicky name and is the sort of thing the XFL did to try and 'seem cool' compared to the NFL. It's not the sort of change a serious league makes to their product.

Why is there a need for this? What problem is it solving?

Didn't the NHL used the AHL as a testing ground for 4 on 4 (then 3 on 3) OT before implementing it? I feel like this is the same thing here, that the NHL has "an idea" they want to try out, but don't want to test it themselves as there could be backlash or maybe it just doesn't work at all. Best to test it at the "lower league" to see what the reception is.

People thought 4 on 4 and 3 on 3 OT were stupid and gimmicky too, and some people still think so. But it did make the game more exciting and interesting to a lot people, and the extra point does lead to (artificial) parity, which boost fan's emotional investment for a long period during the season. I think in the end it was overall more beneficial to the league than not. But it was a good idea to try out these ideas in other leagues before bringing it to the NHL.

 

[arttk]

I feel like the NFL is sports for people who don’t like sports.

If you don’t like actually focusing on a game and only want to watch 11 minutes of play in 3 hours and spend the rest of it BSing with your friends and eating food, I guess it’s perfect.

Baseball

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

 

[Petey O]

Polar opposite of the PWHA is the NFL which never changes a rule for anything.

I remember being a kid in the 1990s and being confused as to why kickoffs were so pointless because every kick went through the end zone, and why they didn't just move the kickoff point back 20 yards so you'd actually have a ball in play and a potential for an exciting play?

And 25 or 30 years later ... still the exact same thing. I don't think a single kickoff yesterday was actually caught and returned, and it's totally pointless. But they won't change it.

That annoyed the heck out of me. Why even bother doing the kick? Just give the ball to the other team at the 25.

 

[F A N]

Football is unique in North American sports by setting itself as a weekly event. It’s on a set of specific days every week (apart from the bye week) and has made itself appointment viewing. With a short schedule, every game has a feel of importance and every playoff game is a game 7.

That it’s dreadfully dull, only there to advertise to you is a feature, and the actual action is limited is a feature. Gather your friends and family around and only pay attention in 30 second spurts spread over 5 minutes. Lots of time for catching up, idle chatter, bathroom breaks, and eating. It’s one of the few universal social events in America.

Good point. I wonder who came up with this. Because as it stands, there is a feeling (among players anyways) that they can’t extend the season and play more games. The NFL has gone from 14 to 16 to now 17 game seasons. Just going from 16 to 17 alone took 20+ years.

So what came first? The NFL thinking weekly games are the best for money making purposes or the players deciding that they can’t play more than a game a week for a max 14/16/17 games + playoffs.

 

[valkynax]

Here's been my personal experience with all the different ball sports:

Soccer (Football) - Used to love it. Back in 90's China there were tournaments with different levels, it was quite exciting, even birthed some rivalries between fans such as Beijing vs Shanghai. There were not a huge amount of money but you can tell the players were doing their best, and the media actually drafted various profiles for them, such as labeling a player as a stone cold killer on the field who'll murder you without even flinching. After I came to Canada, soccer got richer and worse, various scandals and corruption made the games almost unwatchable, plus I kinda lost patience to watch it.

Basketball (Basketball) - Watched it on and off through the Kobe Bryant years, the Piston vs Pacers brawl was hilarious, Kobe was awesome, and Yao Ming was surprisingly good. But I started to dislike the last 3 minutes of the game, when tensions are high and every play ended with a time out and commercial break. Yeah no, screw that.

Football (Olive Ball) - Tried to watch it twice, I was extremely confused as to what was happening. Sure I know the basic idea but it seems like 10 seconds of actual play followed by nine years of players and coaches standing around to do...what, crossword puzzles? Snooze fest both times, will never watch this crap ever again.

Baseball (Bat Ball) - Baseball made football look exciting. Watched one game, stop caring after that. No I'm not saying that I fell asleep, I'm just saying that none of you guys were around to prove that I fell asleep.

Hockey (Ice Ball) - I recall watching a brief highlight of Marian Hossa playing for Senators, he was on a break away but either he blew a tire or something, he fell on the ice and was sliding forward with the puck. Goalie came out to challenge, and Hossa just whacked the puck into the net anyways. I thought holy shit this is actually awesome. First time watching it seriously was...2009? Maybe? Yeah, been sticking with hockey since. If no goals there are still hits and fights. Most my Chinese friends don't watch hockey because they can't see the puck. No, it's the PUCK that's too small!

P.S.1: In the brackets are how the Chinese translated the name of the sports, as you can see aside from soccer and basketball, every other one is weird.

P.S.2: Another reason I watch hockey is the awesomeness of the Stanley Cup, looks like a silver monument by itself.

 

[Kryten]

trickle-down effect, I don't have a problem with it, as long as the owner does pass the trophy to the players.

Horse and sparrow

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

The hell is the jailbreak rule

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

The hell is the jailbreak rule

Cousin of the Jailbait rule.

Which coincidentally is still popular in the Southern US.

 

[fergo]

I think we just have a different view of Gimick... like the Jailbreak rule, and maybe making all penalties the full time, (like if a goal is scored on the PP the guy doesn't come out of the box) isn't a rule that I find gimicky. Again maybe in practice I am proven wrong. But trying things... I don't have an issue with.

Interestingly enough, minor penalties used to not end after a power play goal was scored, but the rule was changed in the 1950s when the Montréal Canadiens had immense success on the power play.

Canadiens felt 1956 rule change doused their potent power play | NHL.com

Anniversary of switch to allow minor-penalized player to leave box after goal

www.nhl.com

That didn't exactly stop the Habs from winning four straight Stanley Cups after that, to go with the one they won the season before the rule came into place.

Didn't the NHL used the AHL as a testing ground for 4 on 4 (then 3 on 3) OT before implementing it? I feel like this is the same thing here, that the NHL has "an idea" they want to try out, but don't want to test it themselves as there could be backlash or maybe it just doesn't work at all. Best to test it at the "lower league" to see what the reception is.

The AHL has been used as a testing ground for various things throughout the years. Some have been implemented at the NHL level (for instance, the shootout, albeit modified from five shooters aside to three), while others didn't work at the AHL level and weren't used in the NHL (the comically-wide blue lines being an example).

One that failed at the AHL level that ended up being used in the NHL anyway was the puck-over-glass rule. I forget what year they tried that in the AHL, but I remember that they ditched the rule halfway through the season because so many penalties kept happening because of it, and thus the flow of the game slowed to a crawl.

 

[tantalum]

Man I hope every team that has a chance to score an empty netter on the Leafs winds up and blasts it into the net from 5 feet.

 

[WTG]

There is no sport as intense as international football. Back in Holland, running home when the church tower hit 6 PM as kids to catch the game. The village was quiet; I would run past houses and try to get a peak in the window to see the game. Some people opened the blinds so we could watch before running home.

Hearing the whole neighborhood erupt as Holland scored. There is nothing like international football. I hope one day, Canadians can understand that feeling.


American football is super lame, and it's almost designed to have your phone out and half pay attention. Constant commercials makes me feel gross. Just the whole CONSUME, CONSUME, CONSUME culture that's down here in the states. I hate it. Real football is 45 minutes straight with no commercials, then some commercials and analysis, then back at it for 45 minutes +. That's what makes it a real sport. Not just an excuse to watch people get CTE and buy the same old iPhone that came out last year repackaged and with a fancy new number.

Hockey has two big commercial breaks each period. I can handle that.

 

[Orr4Norris]

Man I hope every team that has a chance to score an empty netter on the Leafs winds up and blasts it into the ent from 5 feet.

The quotes coming out of there…they are really wound up. Would be awesome to see Zegras or someone Michigan an empty net on them

 

[Ernie]

Hockey has two big commercial breaks each period. I can handle that.

Technically it has 3 breaks, after 14:00, 10:00, and 6:00.

 

[tradervik]

The hell is the jailbreak rule

“Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.”

 

[Ernie]

I'm really enjoying this Leafs meltdown.

They're all like "nobody will mess with us now!" because Reilly had a tantrum over an EN goal but now everyone knows how easy it is to get in their heads. The pundits are all like "this is the team finally showing emotion" but it's over something so stupid and irrelevant it just shows that the team lacks any kind of cohesion.

Now the fans are pumped up about Keefe even though this embarrassing display should have been the end of the road for him and shows he can't focus the team on the things that actually matter.

 

[Nolan Bombgardener]

The quotes coming out of there…they are really wound up. Would be awesome to see Zegras or someone Michigan an empty net on them

Remember the Mason Raymond spin-o-rama? That would look hilarious on an EN.

 

[Svencouver]

Football is unique in North American sports by setting itself as a weekly event. It’s on a set of specific days every week (apart from the bye week) and has made itself appointment viewing. With a short schedule, every game has a feel of importance and every playoff game is a game 7.

That it’s dreadfully dull, only there to advertise to you is a feature, and the actual action is limited is a feature. Gather your friends and family around and only pay attention in 30 second spurts spread over 5 minutes. Lots of time for catching up, idle chatter, bathroom breaks, and eating. It’s one of the few universal social events in America.

Ive really come to like football in the past couple years. The weekly schedule is extremely palatable to me and the game is really strategically compelling. It's like chess but with using large violent men as pieces

 

[quat]

Speaking of gimmicks, why exactly is a team allowed to ice the puck when they are on the PK? Hey, you committed an infraction? We are going to put you down a player but you can now ice the puck with no consequences.

If I was going to change something around penalties, that would be it.

I don't know, the reffing already has too big an impact on the game, and if team couldn't ice the puck, the likelyhood of the PP scoring would go rise, making non calls or diving to draw calls also go up. As bad as it is now, it could be a lot worse.

 

[Jyrki]

Watching the Superbowl game itself was great while doing other stuff, honestly the first time I did it without being at a TV or with friends and it was best when I could split my attention during the breaks while being able to work my brain a bit during play. I could appreciate that the match was pretty grindy with a lot of subtle plays going on to try to eek out an edge, then Mahomes just kind of GOATing in the end for the win.

The spectacle around it just gets lamer the older I get, though. Ads with way more money and celebrity drop-ins than any sort of sense as usual, and this year also had a healthy dose of unethical corporations trying to beat you into consumption and billionaire-funded shadowy religious groups promoting "Jesus" as if he wouldn't cleanse them as he did with the Temple of Jerusalem. Not going to lie, the Taylor Swift presence warping the coverage of the event was one of the few interesting things aside from the game.

EDIT: And of course, the fact owners get first dibs on the trophy has to be the most cynically American thing about the whole thing. It's as if some leftist dystopian fiction from the 30's came to life.

 

[StreetHawk]

Ive really come to like football in the past couple years. The weekly schedule is extremely palatable to me and the game is really strategically compelling. It's like chess but with using large violent men as pieces

The weekly schedule is what puts it over the top vs any other sport. It's taken over Xmas in the US now vs the NBA. And that's a day the NBA puts some of their best matchups on but in the end it's still just 1/82 games vs 1/17 for the NFL.

But, the NFL isn't without its flaws. It's a game predicated on good QB play and there simply isn't enough good QBs in the NFL to have as many prime time slots as they are targeting (unless it's the same 8-10 teams in those games), which they can't be, as TNF requires each team to play once.

 

[tantalum]

The NFL is for gambling not really for watching or cheering for a team. Of course there are many people who love and cheer for their team but I know far more people who simply watch it every week because of fantasy football or their weekly wagers. Take away gambling and 90% of NFL coverage goes away.

Now college football....that is football where people are absolutely fanatical about "their" team.

Watching the Superbowl game itself was great while doing other stuff, honestly the first time I did it without being at a TV or with friends and it was best when I could split my attention during the breaks while being able to work my brain a bit during play. I could appreciate that the match was pretty grindy with a lot of subtle plays going on to try to eek out an edge, then Mahomes just kind of GOATing in the end for the win.

The spectacle around it just gets lamer the older I get, though. Ads with way more money and celebrity drop-ins than any sort of sense as usual, and this year also had a healthy dose of unethical corporations trying to beat you into consumption and billionaire-funded shadowy religious groups promoting "Jesus" as if he wouldn't cleanse them as he did with the Temple of Jerusalem. Not going to lie, the Taylor Swift presence warping the coverage of the event was one of the few interesting things aside from the game.

EDIT: And of course, the fact owners get first dibs on the trophy has to be the most cynically American thing about the whole thing. It's as if some leftist dystopian fiction from the 30's came to life.

Ugh the Jesus commercials. Funded by just horrific people "pretending" to be accepting etc but actually fully support the MAGA right-wing evangelical agenda behind the scenes. It's a cynical campaign aimed to get more people through church doors to add to the coffers in order to support the opposite of what the commercials are saying. A plan to spend over a billion dollars on the Jesus PR campaign over a few years. Something tells me REAL Christians would find something more useful to do with that Billion.

 

[nucks88]

Honest question, was anybody really bothered that much about Wolman's stupid little dance? Why do I just notice people talking about it now? As an old white guy, a member of the group that is supposedly outraged, I am at a loss.