Sunday afternoon in The Jungle

I've been to my share of Major League Baseball and National Hockey League games, but when it comes to the National Football League, I can count the number of times I've attended a game on one hand.  The tickets are more expensive (if available), there are fewer games, and the weather often can be less than hospitable.  It doesn't help that may favorite team, the Cincinnati Bengals, has not been very good for most of my teen and adult years, which lessens the desire to bother springing for tickets.

Before today I'd been to an NFL game twice.  I saw the Bengals host the Detroit Lions in 1989 and Baltimore Ravens in 2004.  A friend won tickets to today's game against the Browns and invited me, so add a third game to my list.

For late November the weather certainly could have been worse.  It also could have been better.  The sky spit rain intermittently, and when the wind came through, it could get chilly.  I suppose I could have dressed warmer, although I was wearing the hat I knit in Bengals colors last year.

I'd been to Paul Brown Stadium once before, but I had little memory of the stadium's interior.  Maybe it's because the building is not owned by the team or maybe because it's used for a limited number of events per year, but the concourse lacks personality, especially compared to the baseball stadiums I've visited.  Is that how most football-specific stadiums are?  (While I haven't been inside, the one in Dallas most assuredly is not.)  It isn't a big deal, but unlike baseball team homes, this one was less than awe-inspiring.

The NFL's product is very friendly for the TV viewer.  To a certain extent that's to the detriment of the fans at the game.  The stadium experience was lacking in some areas.  Since our seats were in the corner of an end zone, there were times we were better off watching the action on the scoreboard to have a better idea of what was happening on some plays.  The length of TV timeouts is more deeply felt as you stand around waiting for the action to resume.  Although out-of-town scores and highlights are displayed, one feels sealed off from much else at an NFL game.

Those reasons, in addition to those I mentioned in the first paragraph, are probably enough to keep me from ever being a regular attendee at NFL games.  (That the team is a two-hour drive away factors in too.)  Don't get me wrong.  I enjoyed the time at the game, which was a good one in general.  The Bengals won in semi-dramatic fashion with a late field goal at the end where we sat.  I definitely won't complain about that.  Unlike other league's games, though, I don't know that seeing them in person is the best way to experience them.  Weird, that.

Winning and losing

I like watching sports and do plenty of it.  Of course I want my teams to win, but enduring years of losing shows that success isn't essential to keep me following them.  But you know, winning is so much more fun.

I was hopeful for this fall's NHL season to start as the local franchise had made some splashy moves in the offseason and presumably addressed the biggest deficiencies.  I was pretty pessimistic about my NFL team of choice as the football season approached.  So far my expectations were completely wrong for both.

The hockey team has been dismal in getting off to a franchise worst start, which is saying something considering the club's history.  How bad has it been?  The season sure seemed like it was essentially over two weeks in.  A month in it definitely looks like they're left playing for pride.  Never mind that the regular season isn't over until early April.  The team doesn't just lose; it looks uninspired.  (They lost 9-2 last night in a sport in which putting up nine goals is not common.)

I am a partial season ticket holder for this team--I have a 10-game plan--and I'm kind of regretting having those tickets now.  I'm not demanding them to field the best team in the league, but yeah, I do expect them not to put the worst one out there, especially since they're not in rebuilding mode.  They're not even losing in ways that make my attention justifiable.

On the other hand, the football team has been surprisingly good, especially since I anticipated them being the worst team in the league this season.  On the weeks their games haven't been on local TV I've gone to a sports bar and cheered them on.  Imagine this.  It's been fun.  Everything seems to be going their way, and they are winning games.  Dumb as it sounds, it feels good to watch them win.

I don't stake my identity or happiness on the outcomes of the games my teams compete in, yet the results do have an effect.  For now I'm glad at least one of my teams is coming through.  I hope it lasts.

Resigned

Since yesterday the big story around these parts has been the resignation of the head football coach at the huge state university in town. I was surprised that the announcement came now--the NCAA's findings aren't due until August--but I'm not surprised that he's no longer in charge of the program. As is so often the case, the cover-up can cause more trouble than the crime. (In this case the players made the initial rules violation. The coach's fatal error was not informing the appropriate people when it was brought to his attention.)

I've read and heard a fair amount of the reactions to the downfall of the clean-cut coach--or maybe not as clean as everyone wants to believe--and some of it drives me crazy. So permit me today's post to get this out of my system:

-The coach is not a martyr or a victim of the players' misdeeds.

Yes, the players broke the rules. So did the coach when he chose not to report his knowledge of their actions and then lie about what he knew when. Whether you think the rule regarding players being disallowed to sell or trade their memorabilia is sensible or not, everyone involved knows it's there, especially the coach. Hiding violations tends to get schools in more trouble than reporting them. The now-former coach knew that but played his cards differently. (And spare me about how honorable he was being, that he was protecting his players. This was about protecting a credible shot at a title run.)

-Everybody's doing it, so why don't we? Because two wrongs don't make a right.

The thinking goes that there's rule-breaking and corruption at all major college athletics programs, so what's the big deal? I agree that there's definitely plenty of slimy business in big-time college sports, but that doesn't mean we ignore it when proof of it exists, especially if you're one of the watchmen. (The coach has been quite vocal about his Christianity and published books about ethical behavior, which only makes his stonewalling and suspect decisions all the more distasteful.)

-There's a place and purpose for athletics in a college setting, but these incidents suggest that the major sports and the money involved with them are working at odds with the educational mission.

The answer is not to begin paying these student-athletes, which some think is the solution. For one, you'd have to pay all Division I athletes, most of whom are not in revenue-generating sports. How many people are going to accept paying the star QB the same as the last person on the fencing team? And I get tired of hearing that they're not being compensated. A full college scholarship isn't nothing. Whether they choose to use it or not is on those individuals.

-Don't kill the messengers.

A lot of fan anger, at least in the local newspaper's online comments, is directed at the media for reporting this in the first place. No one likes feeling duped--and I think that's part of what's going on with the anger being expressed--but aim that displeasure where it's deserved: the coach. The players involved were clearly no saints, but the guy getting paid millions to keep things straight could have minimized the damage that will surely be greater because of how the situation's been handled.

OK, that's enough of that.

A study in scarlet and gray

Ohio State football is practically a religion around here. (After all, "Carmen Ohio" is set to the tune of the traditional Christian song "Spanish Hymn".) People around the state take it pretty seriously too, but in Columbus things seem to grind to a halt when the Buckeyes are playing. Just ask anyone who decides to go to the grocery store when a game is going on. You won't encounter crowds in the aisles.

I was an Ohio State fan growing up, became somewhat disenchanted with the madness around town (probably from the regrettable mistake of listening to local sports talk radio), and have been working my way back to rooting for the team while ignoring the other stuff. It's amazing how much more I can simply enjoy the games when blocking out the talk show hosts and newspaper and TV reporting and analysis.

Until today I'd never seen an Ohio State football game from the stands. I've worked two games in the press box, but that doesn't provide the fan experience whatsoever. I've seen the long gone and forgotten Ohio Glory (of the long gone and forgotten World League of American Football) in the venerable Ohio Stadium. I also saw a decent number of Columbus Crew games when they called the Horseshoe home, but they play the kind of football we Americans call soccer.

So I jumped at the opportunity to attend this afternoon's game against Penn State when offered a free ticket. They were playing a traditional power and decent team, which was better than could be said for the two games I saw from the press box. Oh yeah, I'd never been invited to go before.

We parked in a nearby neighborhood, thus avoiding the outlandish parking charges various lots were requesting, and hoofed it to the stadium along with the other 105,000+. The seats were perhaps not quite half the way up in C Deck, but suffice it to say that getting there required climbing plenty of stairs. We were near midfield, which made for a terrific vantage point on this lovely, unseasonably warm day.

It took awhile for the stadium to get hopping as Penn State had a 14-3 lead at halftime. The way the Nittany Lions shredded the Buckeyes' defense had people justifiably concerned. Then the tide turned and the party began. C'mon, when have you ever been in one place with that many people, not to mention that many with the same rooting interest? (Penn State fans were sprinkled among the sea of scarlet and few in numbers.) It certainly is something to experience firsthand.

Super scarves

When it comes to the NFL and the Super Bowl, the last things I'd associate with them are handmade items. Of all the games played during the season, the championship is certainly the least friendly for the average fan to attend. Tickets are not easy to acquire, and if you can, they are prohibitively expensive.

Imagine my surprise to see that one project for the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis is knitting eight thousand scarves for the event's volunteers. What a neat way for the host city to keep these people warm and give them a unique memento for their efforts.

OK, so it's not knitting for those in need, but it's rare to see something on this scale favor handmade donations over mass production. If you want to contribute to this blue scarf project, there's more information here.

Marching in

It's only appropriate on a day that the New Orleans Saints advance to their first Super Bowl that I link to a story about one fan and her team-related knitting. There's not much to say except that it's a funny piece about a couple with split football team loyalties.

As a fan of a traditionally bad team, I'm glad to see the Saints, who possibly have an even stronger losing tradition, go to the championship game. I don't know that I can root for them in the Super Bowl. Due to the Indianapolis Colts' relative proximity, I will pull for them from time to time, so I suppose I probably want them to win. Regardless, it stands to be a pretty good game two weeks from now.

Bungled

As a Cincinnati Bengals fan I am used to being disappointed, aggravated, embarrassed, you name it by my favorite team. They've only had winning seasons or made the playoffs two times in twenty years. They last won a playoff game in 1991. That did not change today.

Even when they're winning, like this season, there's a sense deep down that it isn't going to last. Boy, was that well-honed internal pessimism ever accurate. This team isn't jokingly referred to as the Bungles for nothing.

Spectator sports are a funny thing. Other than a lifelong commitment to watching this team, which wasn't in my hometown or where I live now, I have no connection to the organization whatsoever. Nevertheless, it's days like these that metaphorically kill me.

So why bother with it? For better or worse, it's my team. It's something to talk about with my dad--he called me at halftime--and others. It's something to vent frustrations on. (There's one thing this team is good for.) When it's going good, it's something to lift my spirits for a bit.

Am I mad that the Bengals suffered more injuries to what was an already banged-up squad and played mediocre at best? Absolutely. I'll also be right back there rooting for them (and probably ripping my hair out) when the next season begins.

Moving the sticks

Previous autumn Sundays were an excuse to knit while keeping an eye on the pro football games on TV. My team, the Bengals, were usually their hapless selves. At least knitting assuaged some of the aggravation of rooting them on in vain.

Apparently this fall is and will be different. The Bengals are in first place, in control of their destiny, and look to be a legitimate top team. Who dey? Historically this team has delivered disappointment and inconsistency, but this year's determined squad may be the best I've witnessed, including the two teams that made the Super Bowl.

I am delighted to no end that the Bengals are winning, but knitting during these games is out of the question. Between watching the game and following chatter online, not to mention occasionally turning on the home radio broadcast, my attention is fixed on the gridiron and my favorite team. The only moving of the sticks that interests me on Sunday afternoon is another Cincinnati first down.

On the spot

Halloween in these parts does not mean Beggars' Night--most places in and around the city held that on Thursday--so I needn't fear costumed children pounding on my door and demanding sweets. That's just as well. It was a a semi-long day capping a busy week, so I was ready to crash late this afternoon.

As you can tell by the picture atop this entry, I spent some hours hanging around the press box at Ohio State today. I was asked to fill in and help spot offense for the public address announcer. OSU's opponent practically guaranteed a lousy game, but it's interesting to see the spectacle of major college football. Plus, I didn't have to pay to get in and got a parking pass in a great spot out of the deal. It didn't pay, but eh, why not?

The PA announcer's booth had moved since I last did this a few years ago. It's still high up, but the location is much better. It's not as badly angled or in as cramped of a space. But these kind of details don't interest you, so how about a couple interesting tidbits and I'll leave it at that?

The press box level has its own McFlurry machine with someone preparing them and setting out a bunch on a table for the taking. McCafe drinks--iced coffee, in other words--were the other branded offerings available. The self-serve food choices included: scrambled eggs for those getting there earlier in the morning; hot dogs; pulled pork sandwiches, which were probably from the best local barbecue chain; cole slaw; baked beans; and the typical snacks (pretzels, chips, popcorn).

Just seeing the number of people at the press box level and on the sidelines, it's staggering to think how many people are working to put on and cover the event. (That doesn't include the nearly 105-thousand who attended.)

The marching band isn't usually shown at halftime to television viewers, but they would probably make for better entertainment than the highlights and analysis. The Halloween-centric routine featured some interesting formations--a vampire, a casket, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's head--and a little Thriller dancing.

Super Bowl shuffle

Thoughts and observations from tonight's Super Bowl XLIII telecast...

For all of the reminders about getting 3D glasses at the grocery for best appreciating two of tonight's ads and tomorrow's episode of Chuck, I never saw any of the red and blue specs or a display.

Despite being eight years younger, John Elway sure looked a lot older than Lynn Swann.

It's a sign of the times that a song (U2's new single) appears in an advertisment (an NFL spot) almost a month before the album is in stores.

Madison Avenue has tried to convince us that the ads are just as important as the game, but if that were true--and I don't think it is--they sure laid an egg with the mostly uninspired bunch that aired tonight.

I thought the blatant product placement was kind of questionable in last night's Saturday Night Live MacGruber sketch, so I really don't know what to think now that I see that it actually is an ad.

Is Toyota aware that transmission isn't the first thing that comes to mind when some of us hear "tranny"? Do gearheads call it that?

Instant replay appeared to get the calls correct--I'd quibble with the fumble call on Arizona's final possession--but talk about draining the urgency out of what happens on the field. All the calls upstairs kills the excitement of the moment.

I really didn't want the Steelers to win, but at least the game was in question down to the final seconds. That's two Super Bowls in a row that have had pretty good finishes, which isn't typical for the championship.

The host network places such importance on the show they air after the Super Bowl, but it might help if the thing started on time or at a reasonable hour in the Eastern time zone. Tonight's actually started close to on time but still didn't begin until after 10:30 p.m.

A little bit of this and that

Politics-free scraps from a busy day...

-Attended three films today and an audience member's phone went off during all of them, including one in which there were only two other people in the auditorium. Seriously, would it kill people to turn off their phones for a couple hours? (There's a longer version of this rant, but I'm going to restrain myself.)

-Obligatory knitting content: there are a couple brief shots of women knitting in the documentary Up the Yangtze.

-As if all the losing doesn't make being a Bengals fan hard enough, the players' off-field shenanigans are what really make one feel like a laughingstock. But you know what? I'm very amused that wide receiver Chad Johnson has legally changed his last name to Ocho Cinco. (For the uninitiated, it's his uniform number rendered in Spanish.) This is the pièce de résistance of his petulant and bizarre off-season behavior. I wonder if he has some actual psychological issues in need of diagnosis, but whatever the case, I've got to give him points for style. He wants to be an entertainer. I'll take this kind of stunt over the whining he was doing in the spring and early summer. And at least he hasn't been arrested five times, cut, and then resigned.

-Somehow I missed when it started getting dark so early.

Super Sunday

The jinx worked! The Patriots lost!

NFL fans, prepare to see in perpetuity the play where Eli Manning evaded a sack (when in most other circumstances he would have been called down for being in the grasp, right?) and David Tyree somehow caught the pass against his helmet. I watched the game with varying levels of interest--I knitted for most of the third quarter--but I take satisfaction in the outcome.

While watching the halftime show I wondered who will be playing events like this fifteen or twenty years from now. Those in charge of planning the mid-game entertainment extravaganzas have chosen rock and pop standard bearers since the infamous 2004 mishap. Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers have broad mainstream appeal, but will there be any artists like that with sustained careers in two decades?

Think about it. Music is increasingly becoming the domain of niches. The top pop acts don't seem to have the staying power they once did. What are the biggest rock bands in the world? Do they truly exist anymore?

So, here are my guesses for who might still be relevant and asked to sing to the masses on Super Bowl Sunday in a decade or two, as well as a few unlikely to make the cut:

-U2: They performed at the 2002 halftime show, so their selection has precedent. In ten or fifteen years their flagging reputation among music hipsters will probably be due for reconsideration.

-R.E.M.: They're no longer as big as they were in their heyday, and this doesn't particularly feel like their thing. Still, they're an important band for a generation and may be poised for rediscovery. The little I've heard from their forthcoming album has me hopeful.

-Radiohead: Among those with a claim to the title of biggest rock band today, Radiohead has to be near the top of the list. Their songs are too weird for this event, though. I can't foresee them having the slightest interest in doing it.

-Coldplay: They're everyone's favorite punching bag, but they sell a lot of albums and have to be popular with somebody. Hey, I have their CDs. And like them. I know, my cool card has just been revoked.

-Green Day: Somewhat inexplicably they have become one of the top rock groups that came to attention when I was in college. Can't say I saw that happening. Granted, don't expect them to play "Longview" right after the teams break for the half unless the FCC's standards have slipped.

-Pearl Jam: After their 1994 dust-up with Ticketmaster and decisions to cut back on promotional efforts, Pearl Jam has slipped under the radar. Is halftime at the Super Bowl too corporate for Eddie Vedder and company? The biggest strike against them is their current mainstream invisibility. Maybe when Ten celebrates its thirtieth anniversary it'll be time for their dinosaur act.

-The White Stripes: Simply put, too rough around the edges. Also, Jack and Meg would mandate that the field must be red and white.

-The Dave Matthews Band: The group doesn't interest me, but he/they has/have a loyal fan base and had enough radio hits once upon a time that I could see him/them being the kind of safe choice the producers would want.

-Foo Fighters: You know what, this might be the wide appeal rock band with a large body of work tailor-made for a Super Bowl halftime in a decade. I haven't heard a new album of theirs in forever, but the fact that they remain popular and well-known gives them a big boost.

-Justin Timberlake: All will be forgiven for his involvement in L'affaire de Janet Jackson. Let's pencil him in sixteen years for now for the twentieth anniversary.

Who do you think will still have wide-reaching popularity in ten or twenty years to step up to the mic?