I've been watching a lot of college football today (go Penn State!), and I've been watching football in general all my life. I just have to lay out a comment about PATs-- points after touchdowns. Is there any good reason for having them?
Let's face facts here... at least 95 out of 100 extra points will be made in the college and pro level. It's basically a slam dunk, other than the rare blocked or flubbed kick. So, what's the point of having extra point kicks at all if they're basically guaranteed points? Shouldn't you have to earn your points in a game where, for the rest of the game, every yard is a battle? Extra points are a boring way to score, and arguably the easiest way to get a point in any kind of game anywhere, other than a breakway slam dunk in basketball.
Now as you well know, in both the college and pro level, a team can opt to go for the two point conversion, which is a pass or run from the 2 yard line, but it's rarely ever attempted unless a specific situation calls for it. I personally like the two-point play because the whole offense and whole defense are involved in the play and you really have to strategize and fight your way to score.
My opinion would be to go with one of the following two options in order to boost the game of football:
1. Eliminate extra point attempts altogether in favor of a mandatory two-point play after a touchdown,
or,
2. Instead of the 2-point play, make it worth 3 points per score, as a greater incentive to scrap the kick and go for the bonus points after a touchdown.
That's my 2 points, err, cents, on how to make the great game of football even more intriguing.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Another Idea: Targeted Ads in the Backstop
Next idea for the night...
You know those digital ads that appear behind the catcher at a baseball game on the backstop? Well how about we turn them into targeted ads, a la pay per click ads on Google.
So instead of a useless, untargeted ad for, say, Spongetech, which seem to have popped up a lot lately, pop in an ad that relates to the hitter, or other relevant situation.
Examples:
-Ryan Howard steps to the plate, up pops an ad for Subway, whom he endorses
-It's a blazing hot summer day, and the announcer mentions the 97 degree temperature and how the players are drinking lots of liquids... up pops an ad for Gatorade or Aquafina
-A player slides into second and gets a mess on his uniform. Yup, you guessed it, an ad for Tide or another laundry detergent appears.
Admittedly, this could get annoying if it happened every 10 seconds, so there would have to be some limits, but my thought is that it would provide a lot better context for the advertiser and make a better connection with the fans, thus making the ads more valuable.
Well, that's my second thought for the night. Now it's drawing near midnight and it's tied at 4 at the end of the 4th between the Phils and Rockies. Thanks TBS and MLB for this lovely late night game, I'll see what else I can blog about to keep awake...
You know those digital ads that appear behind the catcher at a baseball game on the backstop? Well how about we turn them into targeted ads, a la pay per click ads on Google.
So instead of a useless, untargeted ad for, say, Spongetech, which seem to have popped up a lot lately, pop in an ad that relates to the hitter, or other relevant situation.
Examples:
-Ryan Howard steps to the plate, up pops an ad for Subway, whom he endorses
-It's a blazing hot summer day, and the announcer mentions the 97 degree temperature and how the players are drinking lots of liquids... up pops an ad for Gatorade or Aquafina
-A player slides into second and gets a mess on his uniform. Yup, you guessed it, an ad for Tide or another laundry detergent appears.
Admittedly, this could get annoying if it happened every 10 seconds, so there would have to be some limits, but my thought is that it would provide a lot better context for the advertiser and make a better connection with the fans, thus making the ads more valuable.
Well, that's my second thought for the night. Now it's drawing near midnight and it's tied at 4 at the end of the 4th between the Phils and Rockies. Thanks TBS and MLB for this lovely late night game, I'll see what else I can blog about to keep awake...
Give "Back" to a Good Cause
As I watch this torturously late Phillies-Rockies National League Divisional Series playoff game (11pm Eastern Time, with only 2 innings in the books), I had a thought... I think it's time to reevaluate the batboys' uniforms.
Huh?
Just follow me here.
So the batboys for each game wear the home team's uniform and usually the back of their jerseys are emblazoned with the clever statement of "BATBOY."
Instead of wasting this prime space, which is seen by millions of people every game, why not give "back" to a good cause by outfitting each batboy with a shirt that features a local non-profit's name, website, and/or logo? And perhaps after each game, the shirt gets signed by some of the players and given to the charity to get auctioned off. This simple act raises awareness for the charity, then raises a bit of money via the auction, rather than wasting the space on the jersey with an uninspiring noun.
Just trying to think of some ways to give back in this age of big-business baseball. Maybe I'll even have some more ideas to throw out there before the end of this (long) night...
Huh?
Just follow me here.
So the batboys for each game wear the home team's uniform and usually the back of their jerseys are emblazoned with the clever statement of "BATBOY."
Instead of wasting this prime space, which is seen by millions of people every game, why not give "back" to a good cause by outfitting each batboy with a shirt that features a local non-profit's name, website, and/or logo? And perhaps after each game, the shirt gets signed by some of the players and given to the charity to get auctioned off. This simple act raises awareness for the charity, then raises a bit of money via the auction, rather than wasting the space on the jersey with an uninspiring noun.
Just trying to think of some ways to give back in this age of big-business baseball. Maybe I'll even have some more ideas to throw out there before the end of this (long) night...
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