Game time
I just heard the Icelandic commentators for the world cup discussing American football, comparing it to "fútbol". The main point was how terribly long American football games take, that even though the official playing time is an hour, a game actually takes 3 hours. One of the commentators blamed this on how long it takes the referees to decide on plays, and the review rule. Then another disputed that in fact with television cameras all over the field and wireless communication, that actually it just takes them a few seconds to decide on ruling.
It seems none of them realized the main reason American football games take so long is that they are televised. Because of that, the television station actually tells the couches and the players to stop playing, so that they can air commercials. It is not the other way around, that commercials are snuck in during natural breaks in the game (though they are also put in there). In other words, everything is done and has been done to maximize the profit that the television stations get from televising the game.
Ironically, of course, less people watch the game, or the entirety of it, because of how long they take. 3 hours is an exaggeration though, usually it is more like 2 and a quarter.
It seems none of them realized the main reason American football games take so long is that they are televised. Because of that, the television station actually tells the couches and the players to stop playing, so that they can air commercials. It is not the other way around, that commercials are snuck in during natural breaks in the game (though they are also put in there). In other words, everything is done and has been done to maximize the profit that the television stations get from televising the game.
Ironically, of course, less people watch the game, or the entirety of it, because of how long they take. 3 hours is an exaggeration though, usually it is more like 2 and a quarter.
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