Game Length

[2speedy1]

I see a few problems.

We all know where the money comes from. We know they have to have ads, but I think they get too aggressive with the amount of ads at times.

Sometime in the last couple years the length of games has increased and the important games have gotten even longer. Notice games starting at 11am then 330 Pm instead of 230 like usual. This means they have added almost an extra hour of commercials in those games. While I know some games would run longer most of the time games were done for the 230 window to start.

Here is what I think is part of the problem. Every time there is a commercial break the guy with the timer walks out with the 3 minute timer on it. EVERY TIME. When they have a commercial break, then the next play they score, they go to another 3 minute Break. Then kick, then 3 minute break sometimes. There are too many times they repeat these breaks over and over.

Why can they not alternate some short breaks in. Like 1 minute breaks, every other break. Why not a 1 minute break for 1 ad or 2, 30 sec ads quick when they have just had a 3 minute break a few minutes before.

This might not seem like a huge deal but it would at least help with the flow of the game. There are easy times to go to longer breaks, ie end of quarters, halfs, reviews. But there are other times they should cut those extra breaks down at least in length to help with flow and length of games.

 

[cyclones500]

You know when it is 4th and long both teams are going to sub in a punting/return unit so it is a great time to put an ad around the screen and it can even have advertising audio. I know, I know it would be terrible if the players running on and off the field were a little bit smaller on our TVs.

Excellent idea (among your others posted). You also could do this in lieu of after-kickoff break -- still gets another ad slot but you aren't pulling away completely (and also would have to make the commercial segment shorter). Might even get away with a 15-second L-slot when it's a punt if game clock is stopped.

 

[BCClone]

Excellent idea (among your others posted). You also could do this in lieu of after-kickoff break -- still gets another ad slot but you aren't pulling away completely (and also would have to make the commercial segment shorter). Might even get away with a 15-second L-slot when it's a punt if game clock is stopped.

Extend the 1-2 and 3-4 breaks a couple minutes. Add a couple minutes here, it gives the crowd some time to hit the restroom, concessions or whatever and then you can cut the tv timeouts a little. Everyone knows the quarter breaks will be a little, what is another 2 minutes.

 

[KidSilverhair]

I say bring back the infamous “score-ad break-extra point-ad break-kickoff-ad break“ that I’ve actually seen happen in past games

 

[DeereClone]

Just flipped it to ESPN and FSU-Louisville is just over 3 hours now and there is still over 14 minutes left in the game.

 

[cydsho]

I love going to games but I hate the clocks in the field that show how long the media time outs. One of these days it's going to show 4 minutes isn't it........

 

[BigJCy]

 

[Trice]

People complain that games have gotten way too long and the powers that be decided that the solution is to simply give us less football.

Real Men of Genius.

 

[theshadow]

That would inch us back toward 2006, when the clock rules were so bad they only lasted one year because of the reduced number of plays per game (and the ensuing outcry).

Average offensive snaps per game (one team)
2005 - 70.6
2006 - 64.0 (new clock rules)
2007 - 71.9 (clock rules reverted to 2005)
...
2021 - 68.7

YEAR	RUSH	PASS	TOTAL	LENGTH
2008	36.7	31.0	67.7	3:11
2011	38.0	31.8	69.8	3:14
2014	39.5	32.6	72.1	3:22
2017	38.9	31.1	70.0	3:20
2018	39.2	31.1	70.3	3:20
2019	38.2	31.1	69.3	3:18

 

[BCClone]

I say go to the clock stopping for first down only in the last five minutes of each half. That would speed it up and not affect it like this. This is like saying we are going to 12 minute quarters.

 

[Trice]

I'm not a big soccer guy or racing guy, but when I occasionally catch one of those events on TV they occasionally cut away from live action to show a split-screen with an ad on the other half. Why not do that in football? It would seem to solve the revenue issue by allowing more ads and increased ROI on big sports property rights payouts, as well as solving the length of game issue by having fewer TV timeouts.

There just has to be a more creative/innovative way to handle advertising in a way that isn't so disruptive to the game, and absolutely brutal for fans who actually attend.

 

[Trice]

I'm not a big soccer guy or racing guy, but when I occasionally catch one of those events on TV they occasionally cut away from live action to show a split-screen with an ad on the other half. Why not do that in football? It would seem to solve the revenue issue by allowing more ads and increased ROI on big sports property rights payouts, as well as solving the length of game issue by having fewer TV timeouts.

There just has to be a more creative/innovative way to handle advertising in a way that isn't so disruptive to the game, and absolutely brutal for fans who actually attend.

Andringa agrees with me, so I feel like I'm on pretty solid footing here.

 

[theshadow]

Andringa agrees with me, so I feel like I'm on pretty solid footing here.

That'd be a good starting point. The variability in number of possessions in each game would need to be factored in somehow. ISU/Baylor was 10 possessions each. ISU/Ohio was 13. Some high-scoring affairs or punt-fests could be around 17 each.

 

[awd4cy]

People complain that games have gotten way too long and the powers that be decided that the solution is to simply give us less football.

Real Men of Genius.

Just gets easier and easier for me to decide to not watch football.

 

[isutrevman]

Fill the entire half time with 20 minutes of ads. Eliminate half the usual tv breaks in the game. Problem solved.

 

[isucy86]

In order to trim game duration, the USFL implemented a rule during their season that the clock doesn't stop on incompletions in the 1st/3rd quarters.

Not a big fan of less action, but I could see 2 rules implemented that might speed up play and maintain # of plays:

• On pass incompletions start clock after 10 seconds. Allow WR to get back to huddle/line-of-scrimmage.
• Reduce play clock from 40 seconds to 30 seconds.

 

[Cyclone06]

Not a big fan of less action, but I could see 2 rules implemented that might speed up play and maintain # of plays:

• On pass incompletions start clock after 10 seconds. Allow WR to get back to huddle/line-of-scrimmage.
• Reduce play clock from 40 seconds to 30 seconds.

We’ve gone this far and we have yet to say minimize stoppage due to reviews, shorten time allowed for reviews.

 

[alarson]

Fill the entire half time with 20 minutes of ads. Eliminate half the usual tv breaks in the game. Problem solved.

The reason they wouldnt do this (or extend the quarter breaks) is that that ad time gets less valuable in those larger breaks. One of the big reasons sports have gotten so valuable is theyre one of the few forms of entertainment left that you almost have to watch the ads because you want to watch it live and you don't want to risk missing play after a commercial. People take advantage of the larger break to go hit the restroom, grab some food, etc, so they aren't watching the ads.

 

[alarson]

A lot of the problem here seems to be one of the overarching problem in college football, a lack of central governance and a singular focus on maximizing revenue, no matter the costs.

Sure, we could rein in the commercials that have made watching some games unbearable, but those commercials are paying for the giant checks conferences are getting. If they weren't as singularly focused on the money, they could dictate a smaller number of ad-interruptions, but they'd get less pay. But so long as there's an unrestricted arms race between conferences, those conferences are going to say "do whatever you need to to maximize the money".

 

[Hammerschlagen]

They could SO EASILY shorten game time length for college and pro games while simultaneously doubling the amount of advertising time. It blows my mind why they refuse to do so
Run a 15 second ad between every play.