8 Reasons Why We Care More About the NFL Than the NBA

The NBA is back. A little later than hoped, but back it is.

Like its big brother the NFL, the NBA now faces a frenzied free-agency period, condensed preseason and is tasked with winning back some disillusioned fans (which the NFL proved isn't too tough...sorry MLB).

However, the difference between the NFL and the NBA's situations prior to their respective seasons reflect how both sports are valued by sports fans and players alike.

The general consensus within NFL circles was that a deal had to get done or the country would fall apart, however ridiculous that may sound. Whereas with the NBA, pessimism was rife, players were heading overseas and fans were decrying a league that had become all about the Benjamins, arguing that perhaps a year off might help to drag the league back to the light.

So why is it that the NFL is loved that much more than its competitors? Let's take a look...

Competitive-Balance (The Draft)

The subject Roger Goodell likes to refer to as 'competitive-balance' is perhaps one of the best facets of the NFL and something that is largely responsible for the enduring popularity of the game.

The prime example here being the New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl one year after finishing 5-11.

Thanks to the college game, the NFL has an incredibly wide talent pool in which to draw from each year, and that allows teams like the Detroit Lions and the Cincinnati Bengals to be able to rebuild and stay valid.

The NBA unfortunately does not see an influx of rookie talent in the same way, and as a result, it becomes much harder for teams to get better quickly, or develop talent over time.

It is competitive-balance that sells the NFL above all other major sports leagues. With the constant cycle of change that the NFL sees, teams can go from duds to studs in a matter of years, and that is why we keep coming back.

When you see the NBA Playoffs struggling to draw higher TV ratings than the NFL draft, you know the NFL has something special.

The Hits

The NFL's answer to the slam-dunk has to be the monster hit.

Both have the ability to draw a long and low 'Ooooooooh' from fans, but the sheer physicality of a big hit puts the NFL ahead of the NBA. 

You might stress that the NBA is all about ball-skills with spacial awareness being the key, but so is the NFL. The difference is, in the NFL you have to balance those two concepts whilst preparing to get hit by a freight train on every down.

While concussions and the like are really becoming a concern, big hits will continue to be one of the NFL's calling cards, and they won't be going anywhere.

The Stadiums

The sheer size of NFL stadiums and the atmosphere that results in them trumpets anything the NBA has to offer.

That's not the NBA's fault. A basketball court is substantially smaller than a football field, making the feasibility and necessity of a large stadium fairly minute.

The sheer size of some of the NFL's best venues helps to elevate the game's importance, and its status as a must-see event. 

Not only that, but they can have a significant impact on the game—12th Man take a bow. Venues like the Superdome and the Georgia Dome can be incredibly intimidating venues to play in, because of the fans that fill them up and scream every Sunday.

Beats the sound of squeaking sneakers and Mark Jackson.

The Playoffs

The NFL's one-game elimination playoff structure continues to provide for some exciting sporting moments. 

If the NFL were to use the best-of-seven series system that the NBA utilises, we may never have seen the Seattle Seahawks knock off the Saints in the Wild Card round in 2010. We also might never have seen the Kurt Warner lead Arizona Cardinals make is all the way to the Super Bowl during the 2008 season.

NBA fans might like that the team that has been consistently the best throughout the year tends to win it all, but in the NFL its about who is best on the day. This isn't a science experiment, this is sports, you only get one shot.

The very notion that it all comes down to one game makes every second of that game much more exciting, and it leads nicely into my next point.

On Any Given Sunday...

The unpredictability of the NFL is key to its appeal.

2011 has been the most perfect year in terms of proving this point. Take for example the Bills and the Lions' big starts that saw many people declare them 'for real'. Or perhaps the revelation that has been the 49ers, or dare I even mention the name...Tim Tebow.

Every week of the NFL season seems to leave pundits and 'experts' looking foolhardy, and that's always a great thing for fans to chuckle at.

With four weeks left, the AFC's best team is still any mans guess, and while you might be ready to slap a bow on Green Bay as 19-0 Super Bowl Champions, the very nature of this season would suggest that further turns are in store before its over.

Schedule

The NBA lockout actually did the league a service by cutting their mammoth 82-game schedule down to 66.

The length of an NBA schedule does give fans significantly greater opportunities to see their teams play, but it takes away the importance of each matchup. For the most part of the season, a loss doesn't mean as much to an NBA teams chances as it does to an NFL teams. 

In the NFL every single game counts. With only 16 matchups in which to stake your case for a playoff shot, you need to start fast and play hard week-in-week-out. 

Not only that, but with the relatively small number of games compared to other major sports, the NFL's short season is valued that much more as it does not outstay its welcome (cough, MLB, cough).

The NFL's scheduling primarily on Sunday's throughout its run makes every game watchable for an audience, as opposed to weeknight games that clash with other sports such as the NHL. 

The Stars

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I enjoy more than seeing the likes of Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin on the basketball court, but there are only so many stars you can fit on to such a small surface.

Every NFL team has an abundance of players, and in most cases, every team has a star of the show. Whether its Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville or AJ Green in Cincinnati, every team has a player with serious talent, and therefore serious pulling power and $$$ for the league.

Due to the overwhelming abundance of positions played in the NFL, it's only natural that there are more stars than in the comparatively smaller NBA.

Not only that, in the NFL more stars means that there's more to go around, meaning fewer LeBron James antics. 

The Weather

Now this could be a polarising selection, and I have no doubt that if this slideshow were reversed, NBA fans would champion their cozy and comfortable indoor arenas.

However, while it may be tough watching games in the pouring rain or snow, the new dimension that the weather can add to a game can be really fun to watch.

Some might suggest its unfair to have weather affect the game, but if you want to be the best, you need to prove that you can play in any weather and if you are the best, it should be no problem.

The weather has conjured up some memorable moments in NFL history, whether it be the Freezer Bowl in '82, or more recently the monsoon rains that pounded the Jags and the Panthers in Charlotte earlier this year.