Do you have a difficult time following football?

[Indigo Blue]

I can not follow football well because I literally can’t follow the ball. I can’t tell who has the ball a lot of times. My eyes are normal and all. I just can’t do it. Everyone else seems to have no problem with this. I can watch the game and know the score, etc., but I don’t know where the ball is most of the time. 
 

Basketball and baseball are fine. 
 

Am I the only one like this? 
 

I mentioned this to someone recently and they gave me a strange look as if that was the most ridiculous thing they’d ever heard. 
 

So I was just wondering. 

[Clarita]

13 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

can watch the game and know the score, etc., but I don’t know where the ball is most of the time. 

I think most of the time people don't see the ball either. They just figure from where the people are and what is going, where the ball is. In fact, there are strategies in the game where they try to manipulate the other team into thinking the ball is where it is not and occasionally even the camera crew and announcers have it wrong where the ball is.

Basketball the ball is bigger proportional to the field of play. Baseball is easier because at every reset there is a clearer trajectory for the ball.  

[TheReader]

Not the only one. I am forever losing track of the ball, whether on TV or watching live (worse live). 

[katilac]

I'm not interested in following football, but casual glances at the screen show a lot of yellow circling and arrows, doesn't that help?

[Storygirl]

DH played football and is also a fan. I just asked him, and he says he actually SEES the ball on the field perhaps 50% of the time, but he knows where the ball is 95-99% of the time, due to action on the field.

I don't care for football, because I do have trouble seeing the ball, and I can't intuit what is happening just by watching the plays.

[Clarita]

7 minutes ago, katilac said:

I'm not interested in following football, but casual glances at the screen show a lot of yellow circling and arrows, doesn't that help?

The circles, lines and arrows have certainly helped my appreciation of the sport.

[Emba]

I can’t follow football. I don’t know if it’s because I can’t follow the ball, or just don’t care about it enough, so I zone out and lose track of what’s happening. Even when my own child is on the field. When he started playing it felt like a prison sentence. I must sit on these uncomfortable bleachers and be bored out of my mind for years, and hope the other boy doesn’t decide it’s what he wants to play, too. I’ve tried to care. I can’t. I can follow basketball, which was my high school’s big sport. I can actually follow and enjoy baseball. But football, I just don’t get it.

Edited September 7, 2023 by Emba

[Sneezyone]

No. I was raised on football. My dad, my brothers (some of whom are coaches) played. I was on the sidelines as a ‘trainer’ in HS. Also, players STINK! The bug skipped my DD/DS. I weep (not really).

Edited September 7, 2023 by Sneezyone

[marbel]

If a person watches a lot of football, they'll learn the plays and strategies and will have an idea of where the ball is even if they can't actually see it. I don't follow football so I have no clue where the ball is most of the time, unless it's flying through the air.

[Indigo Blue]

I feel much better now. Thanks. 

[Heartstrings]

I can follow it on TV because they have lines going everywhere showing you what’s going on.  In person it’s just a huge jumble.  I figure if it were easy to follow the TV people wouldn’t have lines and arrows and animations all the time.
 

I happen to be currently watching rugby and there are no lines or circles and the ball is visible most of the time.  

Edited September 7, 2023 by Heartstrings

[Grace Hopper]

On TV, yes. When seated in the nosebleed section, yes. Actually watching in person sitting in “good” seats? Totally lost!

A lot of enhancements over the years have made it easier [eta easier to follow on tv, I mean], like the first down lines superimposed on the screen. But one thing that really bothers me - some players wear yellow gloves (I guess that may match a team’s colors). Those always make me think a penalty flag has been thrown, when it’s just someone’s hand. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Grace Hopper

[Lecka]

I have enough football exposure that I can tell a lot from what the players are doing.  It’s not about following the ball, to me.

 

But that’s how I am with hockey.  The puck goes whiz, whiz and I have no idea what the players are doing or why.  They just cruise around the ice, to me.  
 

I also often know what kind of offense the local football team is playing, and then this means they are either rushing (is this right?) or passing.  If they are rushing, they need yo run a little bit and keep possession of the ball, and every little bit counts.  If they are passing they need to protect the quarterback so he can pass and have someone to catch the ball.  
 

I have had the wishbone explained to me, but I don’t remember it now.  
 

A lot of watching football is also just the athleticism of the players, it is so impressive.

 

However my husband and I don’t watch football, but it’s always a neutral/good conversation topic here, and we do keep up with the team and the season without actually watching the games.  

[Kidlit]

I live in a huge football state and graduated from a big football school (Roll Tide! 🤣), but I care nothing at all about football and hence have never given any energy to learning it. 

[Sneezyone]

Y’all are killing me!! Freshman year, half my roomies were clueless. Listen, don’t ask as I’m raging over an interception what just happened?! By graduation, we were hosting Super Bowl parties and were WAY more engaged than the male guests. 🤣

Edited September 7, 2023 by Sneezyone

[popmom]

@Kidlit War Eagle! An entire AU fam here. 😉

I also struggle. I can usually follow WHO HAS THE BALL. But that is it. Dh and a couple of my girls can see--somehow--the whole picture. So I'll hear stuff like..."HOLDING! HE WAS HOLDING!" "Watch! He's gonna run it up the middle!" I'm like...what??? I can't see all that! Dh especially can anticipate the play calling and ALL OF THAT. But he is a natural athlete. Played football and baseball in high school. I'm sure that makes a difference. I don't know why my twins know so much. I guess they got their dad genes. 🙂

Edited September 7, 2023 by popmom

[gardenmom5]

Dh records the games, then fast forwards everything that isn't the ball moving.  It's impossible to learn anything unless you already have a really good handle on the game.  Then he wonders why I won't watch a football game with him . . . "oh, but then I can watch a three hour game in 45 minutes . . . "

[Meriwether]

2 hours ago, Clarita said:

The circles, lines and arrows have certainly helped my appreciation of the sport.

I enjoy watching college football with my husband. I would enjoy it less if the handy lines weren't on the screen. The cheats let me follow along pretty casually. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Meriwether

[MercyA]

I'm with you, Indigo.

[Melissa in Australia]

I don't follow football at all. I learned the rules to both AFL and Soccer in PE class at high school, but sport has never been interesting to me at all. 

[HomeAgain]

There are too many darn people on the field!  I give up following anything except a touchdown.  Although.....have you seen a game on Nickelodeon?  They are brilliant!  The games are enhanced with some cartoonishness, but they take the time to explain more nuances and track the action better.

 

I'll watch hockey, not football, though.  5 on 5, yeah, the puck is small, but it's really easy to see what's going on and who is in which position.

[Pawz4me]

Yes I do. This despite being married for well over thirty years to a huge football fan, and having birthed two huge football fans. I can follow the very basics fairly well but I'm totally clueless on penalties. More often than not I only have a general idea of where the ball is because there are bodies clumped together.

[ScoutTN]

I am getting better at understanding football and following the details of the game since Ds began playing. My guys explain things to me.

[Lecka]

I grew up with people explaining the rules to me…. I’m realizing from reading here that I really do know a lot about it, even though I don’t know every detail.  

I don’t know the hand signals for the penalties, but the main ones seem to be holding and off sides.  Holding means they didn’t let someone run, off sides means someone moved too early.  There are a lot of rules around not getting to hit the quarterback at certain times, which I do generally know, lol.  He has to be allowed to pass!  

Edit:  I have not passed this down to my kids at all.  My husband and I just don’t watch football on our own.  My oldest son has been to one college game and isn’t interested in going back, even though he is going to college there now and it’s a major football school.  

Edited September 7, 2023 by Lecka

[wintermom]

Absolutely it's impossible to follow this game! I was a trainer for a high school football team one season and did a lot of ankle taping, etc. Even at field level, there are so many bodies out there in close formations, with players actively "hiding" the ball to prevent it being ripped out of their hands, that visibly seeing the ball is not going to be possible much of the time.

If you enjoy seeing the ball, watch a sport like tennis. It's great for that. And there is the huge bonus that someone's neck is not going to get broken from getting crushed by another player. 😉 

[Pam in CT]

OMG this thread is cracking me up. Love these boards.

 

(yes, to those helpful circles and lines, LOL)

[Junie]

I love watching football.

I think that I have a fairly good understanding of the game.  My dad taught me a little bit at a time when we would watch games on television.  I think the key for me was to just get one new concept at a time, instead of having someone sit down and explain the whole thing to me.

When I was in college, there was a large commons area where they would broadcast Monday Night Football.  I cheered loudly when the team I was rooting for made a big play on defense (stopped the other team in a 4th and 1 situation, for those in the know) and three big guys in front of me turned around angrily and one of them said to me: "Who are you, little girl? You don't even know what just happened." And I explained that I very much did know what was going on and why would I root for their team because of xyz reasons. They were stunned, turned around, and didn't give me any more trouble for the rest of the night.

[Bootsie]

I find football much easier to follow and enjoy watching it more than other sports.  I can't always "see" where the ball is--that is sometimes intnentional--the quarterback wants it to look like he handed the ball off but he still has it and can run a play.  With football I know who is in offensive and which direction the ball is supposed to be going (unlike basketball that goes back and forth quickly); at the same time there is always the chance of a fumble or interception--so there is the uncertainty and thrill of the unexpected (unlike baseball that is very slow, boring, and anti-climactic(.  

[SKL]

I find it difficult to track where the ball is in any fast-moving sport.  I find it easier in football than in basketball.

But part of the game is to be sneaky about who has the ball, so it's not surprising the spectators are fooled too.  🙂

[Lady Florida.]

I haven't watched football in 20+ years but I used to be an avid fan. If I was to watch a game today either on tv or in person I'd have no trouble following it.

I don't actually watch any sports but when I did I could follow basketball much easier in person than on tv. Baseball is 100% a bore on tv. A little better in person but not much. Watching a golf game is like watching grass grow. I'm not interested in tennis. I used to love to watch the Olympics but not so much anymore.

[Indigo Blue]

So now I see that you don’t necessarily see the ball to understand the overall status/progression of the game. This lines up with my actual experience when watching, although I don’t have a deep understanding of the rules. So it’s a normal thing. I had always thought that real football fans experience it differently, because they will make all those comments during the game that make me think they are much more aware of each tiny thing happening, including where the ball is at all times. And I’d have no idea. 
 

NASCAR, though. BORING. That is only good for really soothing background noise to fall asleep with on Sunday afternoon. 

 

[KrissiK]

I love football.  I never really thought about actually being able to follow the football,  but if I think about it, I would say, yes, I can follow it. I pay attention to whether it’s a running play or a passing play and who has the ball and what they’re doing with it. 

[Ellie]

13 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

I can not follow football well because I literally can’t follow the ball. I can’t tell who has the ball a lot of times. My eyes are normal and all. I just can’t do it. Everyone else seems to have no problem with this. I can watch the game and know the score, etc., but I don’t know where the ball is most of the time.
Basketball and baseball are fine. 
Am I the only one like this? 
I mentioned this to someone recently and they gave me a strange look as if that was the most ridiculous thing they’d ever heard. 
So I was just wondering. 

You are my people. ::group hug::

I think I can follow the ball, although it's been so long since I actually watched a game that now I'm not sure. Also I don't care. Neither does Mr. Ellie, thank goodness.

When I was growing up, the men in my family watched All The Games. In my memory, the sound of a game, any game, playing in the background during Thanksgiving or Christmas Day is warm fuzzy; but the practicalities of actually sitting down and watching a game...no. Just no.

[Ellie]

35 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

So now I see that you don’t necessarily see the ball to understand the overall status/progression of the game. This lines up with my actual experience when watching, although I don’t have a deep understanding of the rules. So it’s a normal thing. I had always thought that real football fans experience it differently, because they will make all those comments during the game that make me think they are much more aware of each tiny thing happening, including where the ball is at all times. And I’d have no idea. 
 

NASCAR, though. BORING. That is only good for really soothing background noise to fall asleep with on Sunday afternoon. 

 

Nor I. I don't understand why it's important to count how many "downs" a team has. WTH?

[KSera]

4 hours ago, Ellie said:

Nor I. I don't understand why it's important to count how many "downs" a team has. WTH?

🤣 That's hilarious. In all these years, Mr. Ellie never explained how the "downs" worked?

I loved football as a kid, but I'm pretty opposed to it now, honestly. Still, at some point we do a quick once over with each kid of the basic way the game works when we come across a game somewhere, like maybe if the Superbowl is on or something. No idea if that knowledge sticks since it's something none of them are interested in.

[Grace Hopper]

8 hours ago, wintermom said:

Absolutely it's impossible to follow this game! I was a trainer for a high school football team one season and did a lot of ankle taping, etc. Even at field level, there are so many bodies out there in close formations, with players actively "hiding" the ball to prevent it being ripped out of their hands, that visibly seeing the ball is not going to be possible much of the time.

If you enjoy seeing the ball, watch a sport like tennis. It's great for that. And there is the huge bonus that someone's neck is not going to get broken from getting crushed by another player. 😉 

It’s the field level I find challenging. I much prefer the “big picture” view from elevated seats and television. 
 

I do know the game and understand the play, penalties, etc, as I somehow have bred an entire family of football enthusiasts. How that happened remains a mystery.

[wintermom]

2 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

It’s the field level I find challenging. I much prefer the “big picture” view from elevated seats and television. 
 

I do know the game and understand the play, penalties, etc, as I somehow have bred an entire family of football enthusiasts. How that happened remains a mystery.

My parents bought season tickets to our city football team one year, but the seats were so far away from the field that I brought a transister radio to listen to the radio broadcast of the game so I would know when the plays began, ended, and what the penalties actually were. "Nose bleed" seats are the worst in football!! 😂

[athena1277]

I can follow it, but I really don’t care about football (so of course I married a guy who loves college football).  I think the reason I don’t care for it is because there’s too much stopping and starting.  It feels like you spend half the game waiting.

[popmom]

6 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

 

NASCAR, though. BORING. That is only good for really soothing background noise to fall asleep with on Sunday afternoon. 

 

YES. This and golf. 

[MEmama]

I’ve never tried. I did go to a college game once, it rained the whole time and I was utterly bored. There was lot going on on the sidelines to keep somewhat distracted at least. 
 

DH is a college football kinda-fan, though only for his alma mater and their big rival. Without fail he falls asleep part way through every single game  🙂 

[fraidycat]

I do often "lose the ball", but I tend to blame it on the zoomed in cameras. I loved late 1900's/early 2000's football on t.v. when there were only a couple to a few cameras covering the whole field. It was easier to keep track of the ball, I'm sure or I would never became a fan.

[Clarita]

19 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

By graduation, we were hosting Super Bowl parties and were WAY more engaged than the male guests. 🤣

I host a Super Bowl party every year. I never have any idea who's playing and neither does my husband. Sports parties have the best food so we'll do a party for any sport. Super Bowl is great because it's one game unlike the World Series (which is the sport we do keep up with) where it's unknown when the super important game is.

[Faith-manor]

No. But I got raised, steeped in football culture. I don't even like the game at all, but with a father like mine.....

[popmom]

13 minutes ago, fraidycat said:

I do often "lose the ball", but I tend to blame it on the zoomed in cameras. I loved late 1900's/early 2000's football on t.v. when there were only a couple to a few cameras covering the whole field. It was easier to keep track of the ball, I'm sure or I would never became a fan.

this triggers a core memory of my childhood being at my grandparents house on college gamedays. Saturdays in the 70's. And how many times I heard my dad or grandfather yelling at all of us cousins..."GET OUT OF THE LIGHT!" when we got in front of the TV. lol

[Lecka]

The downs are important because it has to do with how many chances you have to make plays, before you give the ball to the other team so they can have a turn.  If they can’t move the ball far enough down the field, they have to give the other team a turn.  
 

This is why it’s exciting if there’s an interception or a fumble, too, because the other team can get their turn.  They get to be offense and they get to be the ones who have the ball.  
 

This is also where some of the excitement comes from with wondering if they will run the ball or pass.  Or make some cool play of some kind.  It gets tense as they have fewer chances left and need to go so many yards, or need to try to score.  

[Sneezyone]

26 minutes ago, Lecka said:

The downs are important because it has to do with how many chances you have to make plays, before you give the ball to the other team so they can have a turn.  If they can’t move the ball far enough down the field, they have to give the other team a turn.  
 

This is why it’s exciting if there’s an interception or a fumble, too, because the other team can get their turn.  They get to be offense and they get to be the ones who have the ball.  
 

This is also where some of the excitement comes from with wondering if they will run the ball or pass.  Or make some cool play of some kind.  It gets tense as they have fewer chances left and need to go so many yards, or need to try to score.  

I have never heard it described this way. It makes it sound sound warm and fuzzy, everyone happily taking turns, lol! Meanwhile, I’m over here cursing at the screen for a penalty that gives the other team a 1st down (4 more chances) and waving my fist madly at a stupid penalty call!

Edited September 8, 2023 by Sneezyone

[Ellie]

9 hours ago, KSera said:

🤣 That's hilarious. In all these years, Mr. Ellie never explained how the "downs" worked?

Because we have never actually watched a game. I've commented about downs, and he commented on my comment, but not vigorously enough to stay in my brain cell, and neither of us cares enough to pursue it further. 🙂

I was telling my cousin'g wife how the sound of the game in the background is part of my holiday memories; she said that as an adult married to one of the men glued to the screen, the holiday meals were a PITA, because food had to bge on the table during half time, and of course we never know exactly when half time will be, so...That's an aspect I never saw.

[TravelingChris]

No, I find it easily to follow football.  I watch college games mostly.  Especially my team- Roll Tide!  

[Ting Tang]

I never could figure out the game. It seems hard. lol

[KrissiK]

5 hours ago, Ting Tang said:

I never could figure out the game. It seems hard. lol

I ended up figuring it out over time. I do appreciate some of the really talented players, quarterbacks who can scramble out of situations and make the play. Patrick Mahomes is fun to watch because he can make a play out of just about anything.

Edited September 8, 2023 by KrissiK