20 Reasons We Can't Survive Without the NFL
An NFL lockout is the last thing we want to think about.
However, it is a reality and there is the chance that we could possibly miss games or even the entire season. While hopefully it won't come to that, we need to look back at all the things we'd miss if we had to go without the NFL.
With that in mind, here are the 20 things we'd miss if we had to go without pro football. If you have any thoughts, make sure to leave them below.
What would you miss the most?
No. 20: Football Food
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One of the most underrated parts about football is the food that goes hand in hand with it.
You've got burgers, hot dogs, wings and so much more to chow down on while you're watching nothing but football all day long. Without football, people aren't going to make that food to watch the pro bowling tour on ESPN.
Now that's something that a lot of people would want back.
No. 19: Chris Berman Doing Highlights
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Love him or hate him, Chris Berman is the NFL on ESPN.
Sure, his nicknames and his catchphrases are nothing new, but they are part of the football culture in America and it wouldn't be the same if we didn't hear him talk about a player rumbling, bumbling and stumbling all....the....way to the end zone.
Plus, Berman and Tom Jackson are a duo that just feel like home when it comes to NFL highlights.
No. 18: Training Camp
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Sure, the players may hate training camp, but fans love it.
It means football season and fall is almost here. It's a marker of time that lets us know that the dog days of summer are behind us and that the rest of the sports world is about to come back around as baseball nears the playoffs.
With a lockout, what do we have to save us from the sweltering heat of August?
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No. 17: Touchdown Celebrations
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While the NFL may disapprove of touchdown celebrations, we as fans love them.
There's nothing better than watching Chad Ochocinco go to work in the end zone after grabbing a big touchdown. Players in the NFL don't get to do much in the way of expressing themselves on the field, so those celebrations make the game more fun.
If there's a lockout, we won't have touchdowns, let alone celebrations.
No. 16: Free-Agency Drama
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Without a new CBA, there is no free-agent signing period, which is one of the best times of the NFL season.
A guy like Nnamdi Asomugha is sitting out there without a team and we won't be able to speculate on where he's going or talk about what his arrival will mean for whichever team signs him in the end. The NFL is a year-round news story these days and the free-agent signing period is one of the biggest times of the year.
We as fans need that, and with a possible lockout, we won't get it.
No. 15: What Will Rex Ryan Say Next?
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Rex Ryan has only coached two full seasons with the New York Jets, but he's already stolen a large chunk of the spotlight.
The beauty of Ryan is that he will tell you exactly what's on his mind and he's not afraid to go out on a limb and make a bold prediction. How many coaches in the NFL do that?
Exactly.
Ryan is one of a kind and his soundbites are something that help us get through the middle of the week between games.
We need more hilarious clips of Ryan running his mouth. Please don't deprive us of that.
No. 14: Throwback Jerseys
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NFL jerseys are already awesome, but what pushes them over the top is when teams decide to go with the throwback uniforms.
My personal favorite is the Patriots' red jersey with the retro helmet. It's such a classic look and the helmet just brings it all together. Not only that, but we have San Diego's powder-blue uniforms as another major favorite.
Those uniforms are awesome to watch on the field and will be sorely missed if there is a lockout.
No. 13: Big-Time Hits
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While the NFL may be trying to crack down on the biggest hits in the game, as long as they're clean, the fans love them.
They make fans jump out of their seats, scream and high-five their buddies as everyone watches the replay over and over again. Those plays pump everyone up—from the team to the fans—and they are game changers.
YouTube can't fill the void those hits would leave in our hearts as football fans.
No. 12: Last-Second Drama
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Who will ever forget David Garrard's Hail Mary to win the game for Jacksonville on the final play of the game?
Not only that, but Josh Freeman started to establish himself alongside Matt Ryan as one of the most clutch quarterbacks in all of football. Games that go down to the wire are some of the most exciting things to watch in football and they remind us why we love this game.
There is just something about a close football game that separates the sport from the rest.
No. 11: Michael Vick's Next Chapter
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Michael Vick was one of the biggest stories in the NFL last year, and with good reason.
Vick has had a long road back to the point he's at now, and after a season that put him in consideration for the MVP award, he's back with the Philadelphia Eagles trying to bring a long-elusive Super Bowl to the City of Brotherly Love.
But if there's no football, we have no second chapter in this comeback story, and football fans everywhere don't get to see if he can continue to mature into his role as a starting quarterback.
No. 10: Defending the Belt
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Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers had a magical run to a championship, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.
However, the chance for a repeat might be delayed with a lockout. With a young, talented team like Green Bay that's getting a lot of talent back from injury, it's not fair that we might have to miss out on the Packers' run to another Super Bowl.
Plus, who doesn't want to see the championship belt paraded around some more?
No. 9: Rookies' Development Delayed
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Cam Newton and his fellow rookies will be drafted this year, that much is certain. However, their fate afterward is up in the air.
Teams will have the rights to players, but no one will be under contract and we may not get to see which rookies make a huge splash in their first action in the NFL. The same goes for rookie head coaches like Jim Harbaugh and Mike Munchak, who are looking to turn their teams around.
These are some of the biggest story lines in the NFL and we may be deprived of them.
No. 8: Rivalries Sidelined
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Rivalries are something that helps the NFL go as a sports league.
There are so many rivalries within the divisions and those matchups drive TV ratings and, more importantly, they energize the fans. Sure, with only 17 regular-season weeks in a season, fans are pumped up, but when their team is playing a rival, the energy level goes through the roof.
It won't be the same without a matchup between the Packers and the Bears or the Steelers and the Ravens to help us get through the cold, winter months.
No. 7: Historic Venues Empty
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Arrowhead Stadium and Lambeau Field are two of the most iconic structures in all of sports. This coming fall, they could be empty.
Those stadiums, especially Lambeau, are sacred ground for their fans and there's always a high level of passion and energy from those fanbases. But it's not just those two structures—even Soldier Field, where so many greats have played, could be empty.
It doesn't seem right that there could be a scenario where that happens.
No. 6: Pregame Shows Off the Air
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One of the best things about a football Sunday is getting up, curling up on the couch with a bowl of cereal and watching pregame.
Pregame shows are a ritual for football fans. We can never get enough news and debate about the NFL, and what in the world are we going to watch at that hour on a Sunday morning if football isn't around to entertain us?
I'd hate to think about what our alternative options would be.
No. 5: Stars Sidelined
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Guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning aren't getting any younger.
Neither are guys like Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson. Yet with a lockout, we may miss games from these stars that we'll never, ever get back again. In football, players come and go with relative quickness, and careers are short.
With a lockout, we could miss games from some of the greatest players to ever play the sport, and that's a shame.
No. 4: Tailgating
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When you go to an NFL game, the one thing you have over everyone enjoying it at home is the pregame atmosphere.
In the right town, the pregame tailgating is something that gets you fired up for football. Everyone is laughing, eating, drinking and having a good time before going into the stadium to watch the home team try and walk away with a win.
What will we tailgate for if we don't have NFL football?
No. 3: Monday Night Football
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Monday Night Football is America.
It's really as simple as that. The theme song is iconic and millions of people around the country tune in to Monday Night Football regardless of who is playing that night. Without it, we may be forced to watch "Two and a Half Men" reruns.
Hopefully the owners and players don't subject us to that torture.
No. 2: Lazy Sundays
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When there's an NFL Sunday on deck, you know what you're doing all day long.
You're going to get up, watch pregame and then just watch football from 1 p.m. all the way until you go to bed that night. Millions of Americans enjoy those lazy Sundays and without them, we'll have to rake leaves, fix things around the house and do other chores we put off until later.
Why would anyone want to do that?
No. 1: Fantasy Football
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You knew we had to get to this at some point.
Fantasy football is one of the best inventions in terms of making sports more enjoyable. Everyone loves getting in a league with their friends and drafting teams and playing for bragging rights all season long. I know I love beating my friends in a weekly matchup.
I honestly don't know what we'll do without fantasy football if there is a lockout.
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