Saturday, April 28, 2007

The NFL Draft

I enjoy watching the NFL draft every year, and this year was no exception. Seeing my two favorite teams picking LaRon Landry and Adrian Peterson back-to-back was definitely exciting; I think they'll both be exceptional NFL players.

But the day wasn't all flowers and butterflies. Listen, nobody likes commercials. When the commercials come on, I tend to look around for other interesting shows that I can switch back and forth from when watching the draft. I was delighted to find out that the new NFL Network is also carrying the NFL draft today, and switched to it a couple times. The problem here is that the NFL Network had commercials at the exact same times as ESPN's coverage. Did the NFL Network have to promise that to be able to carry the draft? If so, they made a horrible error. The only way you get my viewership is if you run your coverage while ESPN is on commercial breaks. That's how you catch me.

Besides all of that, it's got to be easier logistically if they run at different times. When ESPN is on commercial, the NFL Network can be asking Brady Quinn what his reaction is to being snubbed for Ted Ginn by Miami at number 9. Then, when the NFL Network goes to a commercial, ESPN can ask the same question. I just don't understand how this kind of thing happens. I want constant coverage, all the time. I am a product of the digital information age. Instant gratification is the name of the game. Fix it, NFL.

2 comments:

Chip said...

How does constant coverage fall into our world of short attention spans?

GoodPointJoe said...

Constant coverage ought to be the natural progression of our entertainment industries. Advertisements get integrated into so many of our normal experiences, especially television shows and movies. It's obvious when you see the full label of a beer that it was specifically placed in the show as an advertisement. And when someone says, "Hey, hand me a Pepsi" on TV, that's clearly product placement.

So why can't the NFL draft do something like this? Why can't Chris Berman and Mel Kiper be drinking Diet Coke for the duration of the draft? Why can't the set be spotted with ads for the Home Depot, Milwaukee's Best Light, and BMW? Why can't the podium have the Nike swoosh on it?

Maybe these things would make the NFL draft seem "corporate," but if it means I don't have to deal with commercials, I'm all for it.

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