Good question. Why do people care if the New England Patriots used slightly deflated footballs. A few reasons:
It's about football. Football is huge in the United States. We Americans, myself included, love football. It's an extremely popular sport. There is a lot of money and excitement surrounding the NFL. This game determined which team would go to the SuperBowl. Going to the SuperBowl is a big deal. Super Bowl XLVIII was the most watched program in history with 112.2 million viewers. Advertisers shell out $4 million for a 30-second commercial. The NFL reportedly asked musicians playing in Super Bowl 2015 if they would pay the league in exchange for landing the gig, due to its enormous exposure.
It's about Tom Brady. Brady is famous. He's extremely talented. Competitive. He looks like a model. And yes, he is married to Gisele Bündchen, the most famous supermodel in the world. Men and women alike both know, and are interested, in Brady and Bundchen.
(Source: Tom Brady's Facebook page)
Its about cheating. The US is probably one of the fairest places to live. Generally we abide by the rules. We pay our taxes. We live in an economy still largely built on meritocracy. However, we also have people who skirt the rules and cheat. This scandal reminds one of the billionaires who cheat (or use an unfair loophole) on their taxes. Cheating at this level, is a controversial, and a thought-provoking, subject.
With so much money at stake, one really begins to wonder how much cheating is really going on. Bill Belichick, the coach of the Patriots, makes $7.M million a year. I'd bet he makes a handsome bonus for getting to the SuperBowl. He may have cheated. He may not have. I really don't know. But it does seem that any advantage he would get from breaking the rule would be greater than the penalty he would receive by getting caught.
Also, the NFL is about winners and losers. Have one bad game and you could be fired. Look at John Fox. He just got sent his walking papers after having 3 amazing seasons. And why? He lost to the same team the Patriots were facing-- the Colts. Outcomes are extreme in the NFL. The difference between winning and losing one game is literally the difference between making a few million dollars or get fired.
It's about the small things making a big difference. It's true that the game was a 45-7 blowout win. It was boring to watch. After the exciting Green Bay/ Seattle game, it felt like a different league. Andrew Luck, one of the best QB's to play the game, looked confused. Tom Brady, another one of the best QB's to play the game, looked elated.
These players are outstanding professionals. They know their sport. Small differences make a huge impact. It may appear petty at first. But when you look at star athletes, they are extremely attuned to the small details.
It's about strange rules with the NFL. For those of you still wondering: the team plays with different balls. The offenses run with their own balls. Before this deflate-gate I didn't know that. Now I do. I'd guess the one end result of this scandal, is that they figure this out.
As a fan, I care, because I like exciting games. I want the team that plays better to win. Unfair games, where people cheat, are boring to watch.
My husband, Jay mentioned that perhaps Brady did something behind Belichick's back. Whether or not either one did anything in this game, or others, is difficult to say. But, football teams are highly hierarchical. And I can't see it. Reminds me a little too much of Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men." One can just imagine Belichick, thinking: "Damn right I ordered the deflated ball!" if anyone questioned who on the Patriots called the shots.
Mira Zaslove
Updated Feb 19, 2015
It's about football. Football is huge in the United States. We Americans, myself included, love football. It's an extremely popular sport. There is a lot of money and excitement surrounding the NFL. This game determined which team would go to the SuperBowl. Going to the SuperBowl is a big deal. Super Bowl XLVIII was the most watched program in history with 112.2 million viewers. Advertisers shell out $4 million for a 30-second commercial. The NFL reportedly asked musicians playing in Super Bowl 2015 if they would pay the league in exchange for landing the gig, due to its enormous exposure.
It's about Tom Brady. Brady is famous. He's extremely talented. Competitive. He looks like a model. And yes, he is married to Gisele Bündchen, the most famous supermodel in the world. Men and women alike both know, and are interested, in Brady and Bundchen.
Its about cheating. The US is probably one of the fairest places to live. Generally we abide by the rules. We pay our taxes. We live in an economy still largely built on meritocracy. However, we also have people who skirt the rules and cheat. This scandal reminds one of the billionaires who cheat (or use an unfair loophole) on their taxes. Cheating at this level, is a controversial, and a thought-provoking, subject.
With so much money at stake, one really begins to wonder how much cheating is really going on. Bill Belichick, the coach of the Patriots, makes $7.M million a year. I'd bet he makes a handsome bonus for getting to the SuperBowl. He may have cheated. He may not have. I really don't know. But it does seem that any advantage he would get from breaking the rule would be greater than the penalty he would receive by getting caught.
Also, the NFL is about winners and losers. Have one bad game and you could be fired. Look at John Fox. He just got sent his walking papers after having 3 amazing seasons. And why? He lost to the same team the Patriots were facing-- the Colts. Outcomes are extreme in the NFL. The difference between winning and losing one game is literally the difference between making a few million dollars or get fired.
It's about the small things making a big difference. It's true that the game was a 45-7 blowout win. It was boring to watch. After the exciting Green Bay/ Seattle game, it felt like a different league. Andrew Luck, one of the best QB's to play the game, looked confused. Tom Brady, another one of the best QB's to play the game, looked elated.
These players are outstanding professionals. They know their sport. Small differences make a huge impact. It may appear petty at first. But when you look at star athletes, they are extremely attuned to the small details.
From: MyGolfSpy, "There's a famous story (at least in golf nerd circles) about Tiger Woods testing drivers with Nike: Tiger hit 4 different drivers and said, "I like the heavy one." The Nike engineers were baffled as all three clubs were designed to be identical. They took the clubs back to the lab and found that the "heavy one" was heavier...by the equivalent of two cotton balls."
It's about strange rules with the NFL. For those of you still wondering: the team plays with different balls. The offenses run with their own balls. Before this deflate-gate I didn't know that. Now I do. I'd guess the one end result of this scandal, is that they figure this out.
As a fan, I care, because I like exciting games. I want the team that plays better to win. Unfair games, where people cheat, are boring to watch.
My husband, Jay mentioned that perhaps Brady did something behind Belichick's back. Whether or not either one did anything in this game, or others, is difficult to say. But, football teams are highly hierarchical. And I can't see it. Reminds me a little too much of Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men." One can just imagine Belichick, thinking: "Damn right I ordered the deflated ball!" if anyone questioned who on the Patriots called the shots.
Mira Zaslove
Updated Feb 19, 2015
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