A Superiority Complex

It's an interesting moment in American sports.

The NFL is nearing its midway mark -- neither the great excitement of the beginning, nor the great tension of the end. If it's possible for the NFL to have its own "horse latitudes," this would be that time.

Meanwhile, the NBA season is kicking into gear, with all its Kobe, LeBron, Shaq, and company hype. And, at the same time, Major League Baseball has launched the Fall Classic, with all of its bunting and fanfare.

Now I'm a sports guy. I like to watch basketball and some baseball, and I have my teams that I follow. I root. I go to some games in person (which is more than I'm able to say for NFL games). And yet, at this significant overlap of the three great American sports, I am reminded again of what a superior sport football is.

First, even in these middle weeks of the NFL season, it is still so apparent how important every game is. There is no shrugging off a three-game losing streak in football, as there can be in the other major sports, for such a run would be devastating in the NFL.

Second, it seems apparent to me that football is superior to its counterparts on America's sports scene because it is both mentally and physically more demanding. This must surely be the key to football's eclipsing appeal. One might think that a game or sport would tend to be one or the other -- either a very physically demanding endeavor, or a mentally challenging one. But football exceeds its peers in both respects.

A double-header would be physically incomprehensible in football. And neither could an NFL team be expected to play on successive nights -- or 4 to 5 times a week -- the way baseball and basketball teams do. The physical exertion and punishment is simply too great.

At the same time, these contestants are not mere boxers or gladiators. The strategic complexity of the NFL game is staggering. In this regard, the European designation of soccer as "football" is quite laughable, for the two sports bear so little resemblance to one another. What is the difference in size and weight between the playbooks from the two sports? Or, for that matter, how many hours of film study does LeBron James do as compared to Peyton Manning? To the uninitiated, it may often look like three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust, but the real fan recognizes the magnificent complexity of 11 different guys with 11 different assignments on every play.

And speaking of 11 different guys, here is another testimony to the superiority of football. Look at the differences in body types and skill sets on a football team as opposed to a baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, etc., team. The comparative richness of football in this respect is so obvious that it does not require explanation.

Finally, as Major League Baseball reaches its 2009 climax, I am reminded of my favorite difference between football and baseball: in football you can score on defense.

This is a constant source of frustration to me as I watch baseball games. The football fan in me is so frustrated when my team is 'in the field,' for the potential is so limited. The best you can hope for on defense is status quo -- just prevent the other guys from scoring.

In football, by contrast, the defense can win the game. Just ask the Steelers and Vikings!

Baseball likes to call itself America's pastime. And it has an indisputable charm, with its casual pace, its colorful radio voices, and its ubiquitous companionship through the afternoons and evenings of summertime. But football is really America's sport.

To wit: let's watch for the ratings figures to come in for the Vikings/Packers regular season football game and Game 4 of the World Series later that day. We shall see.