COMMENTARY – ALL OF THE ABOVE
(Listen daily for the RP Commentary on Cat Country 98, Rock 98.5 FM & LTD Radio)
We posed a trick question on Thursday’s RP Show:
What’s your favourite brand of football this time of year – NFL, CFL, College/University or High School?
Not surprisingly the CFL won the poll given our audience demographics but the correct answer is “All Of The Above”.
It’s a popular question this time of year, and it gets debated a lot, even if I find it odd. For instance we never debate which hockey league is better – NHL, AHL, WHL, Junior A or University. But whatever. I’ve chalked it up to be being a football thing.
The CFL is the leader in this category for me. It’s in my DNA and needs no explanation why.
However I love the NFL too because I’m human and get sucked into the hype. The onfield product is inferior to the CFL and just about any football guy would tell you that. But the production is just so darn slick and the players are marketed to the point they feel like members of the family. It’s the top football league in the world for a reason.
Now College, that’s another story. I liken it to junior hockey which I’ve long called “Perfectly Imperfect”. The players are about the same age as Junior and until recently, didn’t get paid much. There are routinely breakdowns on the field which makes things unpredictable (even if the scores generally are not).
It’s just so much more pure than the pros. And the TV production there is second-to-none.
And of course High School football has its own charm. Here in Florida you’ve literally got future NFL’ers playing on Friday nights and it’s not hard to pick them out.
They’re lined up beside kids who’ll be a mechanic next season. Or a future tech nerd. Or the guy who’ll never be able to let these days go. They’re all together to rep the school, try to win, and impress the folks in the stands.
Tonight I’ll be on the sidelines for Cardinal Gibbons (#23) High School’s second game of the season in Fort Lauderdale against Chaminade-Madonna (#10), and Saturday in the press box for FAU’s home opener at Boca Raton Stadium. In a few weeks I’ll get to witness Sean Payton’s debut as Denver Broncos head coach, in the Dolphins home opener.
What a lucky guy I am to be able to work in them all; talking about them on our daily TV/Radio show, and having Recovery clients at all levels.
It’s worked out just how I’d hoped.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+TV, YouTube Live, WQEE Radio & Podcast)
Stick with lots if college football. It is the future. It is now expansion and power conference. I have watched it for over 30 yrs and football as a content provider is heading to the next level. People also need to understand who Howard Schnellenberger was. If there was ever a pioneer. Tha CFL is the best but to compare. I say to people go watch regional pro wrestling on YouTube. Stampede Wrestling production values will not save the CFL. It won’t fold but where it will never reach its potential. Somewhat like the commentators in this blog they can… Read more »
Rod, you’re down in Florida, have you ever considered interviewing fellow Florida resident Donald De La Haye (Deestroying) former football kicker with the Toronto Argonauts? He’s all over the football map, from high school to the Pro’s. He’s got himself the football pulse of the USA.
The reason for the football debate is because the CFL, NFL and College Football play three distinct games.
The CFL is the best product, college football is exciting, the NFL has several head-scratching rules, (they can’t even figure out how to play overtime) but they have the best marketing team in sport, so their bone headed rules are all forgiven.
The CFL has more than several head scratching rules. Absurd and bizarre rules to the CFL game and the head honchos just keep adding on more asinine rules year after year, stupid does as stupid is.