Saturday, January 16, 2010

Planning to Watch the Play-Offs?

Football Games Have 11 Minutes of Action - WSJ.com: "According to a Wall Street Journal study of four recent broadcasts, and similar estimates by researchers, the average amount of time the ball is in play on the field during an NFL game is about 11 minutes.

In other words, if you tally up everything that happens between the time the ball is snapped and the play is whistled dead by the officials, there's barely enough time to prepare a hard-boiled egg. In fact, the average telecast devotes 56% more time to showing replays."

Hat tip to Art Scott.

4 comments:

Clare2e said...

This is why we DVR the things and scoot through to the plays. It usually takes us about half an hour to watch the games that way, and you miss the more insipid commentary.

Sometimes for a highly anticipated game, I enjoy the lengthy, real-time hoopla, but many other times? Not so much.

Deb said...

In addition to which, two minutes on the clock in a football game is like 20 minutes on a clock in the real world.

I've always preferred baseball: It begins when it begins and it ends when it ends.

That being said--Go Saints!

Rusty said...

It has always made me crazy when people say baseball is boring because it's "too slow." I've pointed out how little action actually occurs during a football game, and they just shrug. What I noticed during this year's bowl season (which lasted from early December until -- wait, it's still going on, isn't it?) is that bowl games now go on for *more than four hours* -- four 15 minute quarters equal four-plus hours? Better to read a book and just watch the highlights later.

Stephen B said...

Maybe this is why I have friends who are avid fans, and I can watch football and have a nice nap. I heard it was about 10 minutes action all told!