Games take too long

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by LikeMike, Oct 17, 2018.

  1. LikeMike

    LikeMike 500+ Posts

    Never been a soccer fan till last few years. After watching the World Cup, I simply cannot sit thru a full Texas football game. The current length combined with the Strong era have caused me to watch them on tap delay. Were our games this long 20 years ago?
     
  2. Giovanni Jones

    Giovanni Jones 2,500+ Posts

    Probably not. Teams pass a lot more than they did 30 or 40 years ago and of course incomplete passes stop the clock. Teams run out of bounds a lot to stop the clock. Then you have the interminable delays for plays under review. Throw in extra-long timeouts for TV and you easily have a game that runs 3.5+ hours. (I always set my DVR to add 60 minutes when recording a UT game.) I've heard that the NCAA wants to shorten the game by carving 5 minutes off the halftime. Fat lotta good that will do. They need to change the rules to keep the clock running more. Period.
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
  3. X Misn Tx

    X Misn Tx 2,500+ Posts

    The upside of a soccer game is a neatly packaged game just under two hours.
     
  4. WorsterMan

    WorsterMan SEC here we come!!

    Without much thought I think it is primarily the incredible volume & frequency of commercials shown during the game. IMO commercial breaks did not delay the game(s) as much in the olden days. Include timeouts for replays and that's 90% of it.
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2018
  5. hornde68

    hornde68 250+ Posts

    It's not rocket science. Somebody/somewhere has to pay for all the scholarship and operating costs of new sports programs that didn't exist 20 years ago. There is only one (or two in some ACC and big basketball schools) sport that makes money. Football. Texas baseball breaks even about half the time. Rowing and badminton are not big revenue draws. Watching Vandy and FLorida last week, the commentators were beefing about the amount of money Vanderbilt 'invests' in its football program. Or more accurately what it doesn't invest. Vanderbilt is the best university in the SEC academically and they put about as much money into football as they view it deserves. Oddly enough, they don't have the need to balance scholarships and hence don't have a badminton team. People with degrees from UT would be disappointed if the quality of the education engine for research and academic excellence were taken away and 'invested' in locker rooms. Ergo, TV commercials. I hate them as bad as anyone. I've actually become frustrated and turned of UT football games owing to hours wasted. " Follow the money. " May be trite, but damned accurate.
     
  6. moondog_LFZ

    moondog_LFZ 5,000+ Posts

    That great last game against Houston back in the 90s I think.
    It lasted almost 5 hours.
    I loved every minute of it.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  7. Giovanni Jones

    Giovanni Jones 2,500+ Posts

    So help me, it seemed that every Texas Tech game when Leach was at the helm lasted at least 4 hours because of the pass-happy offense, players running out of bounds on (almost) every play, and perhaps the clock rules (at that time) for moving the chains on first down after a forward pass (?)
     
  8. LikeMike

    LikeMike 500+ Posts

    I guess my point is I no longer watch games live. Too many commercials and other delays. Am I in a minority or does the NCAA and TV networks need to recognize the trend. Will watch games on tape delay unless very big game. I presume moondog had plenty of Lone Star or Wild Turkey to get thru the 5 hour game. Generally not in the mood to drink more than 2 beers for stupid 11 am starts.
     
  9. p_town_horn

    p_town_horn 1,000+ Posts

    I think I found a solution to your problem

    :smokin:
     
  10. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Amor Fati

    Embrace what is
    Texas football's fun again
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  11. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Looks like I am in the minority but I like most commercials and don't have a problem with the length of the game. Unless it's the before the Horns play and it infringes my watching the entire Texas game.
     
  12. nashhorn

    nashhorn 5,000+ Posts

    Like your attitude Bab but I do admit I get pissed at games when they go review crazy and when the 'red' costumed ref stands on the field holding up play forever.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  13. n64ra

    n64ra 1,000+ Posts

    They've done a few things to speed up the game like start the clock after a first down (once the chains are set). But way more has been done to slow down the game like replays and ref timeouts. I hate that every scoring play is reviewed. The PAT should happen during the review. If they score is upheld, the PAT counts. If not, the PAT is deleted.
     
  14. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    There are only 13 college games a year, I relish every second of them. (when we win) :)
     
  15. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    :yes:I watch every game and go to one or two per season. I wish we ran more to speed up the game, but I digress.
     
  16. dukesteer

    dukesteer 5,000+ Posts

    I have no problem with the length of the game either. Heck, I wait 8-9 months for the first game every year, then agonize through 6 days, 23 hours, etc., for the next game.

    I say “extend the game.” I love every second of it. (Well, not always...)
     
  17. Giovanni Jones

    Giovanni Jones 2,500+ Posts

    My main concern is when televised games overlap on a network because the first game runs long. I seem to recall a few Texas games with 2:30 starts but we missed part of the 1st quarter because ABC/ESPN wouldn’t cut away from the previous game.
     
  18. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    They have moved the start of games to another ESPN Network (usually ESPNews) and then moved to the scheduled network when the running game is over. Problem is sometimes they forget to run the crawl so unless you were watching the prior game right before they started showing the Texas game, you still missed the start of the Texas game. Real question why don't they throw it over to LHN until the first game is over.
     
  19. horninchicago

    horninchicago 10,000+ Posts

    It's also a problem when you are recording the game and are planning on watching later. Guess you have to think to record the other channel as well. It's been a problem for years of overlapping games.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  20. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts

    Yep. They used to schedule games 3 hours apart. Now they schedule them 3.5 hours apart and it often still isn't enough. Although part of the problem in that regard is games rarely kick off at the actual scheduled time - often having nothing to do with waiting on a previous game too.
     
  21. DenverHorn1

    DenverHorn1 < 25 Posts

    I'm selfish. After driving 16 hours to get there or spending a fortune to fly down, I'm happy with a longer game. Feel like I'm getting my money's worth.
     

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