Its purely subjective... I prefer the aesthetic of the Canadian variety but I also appreciate various forms of American football including that provided by the NFL. Anyone can like one or many and I won't criticize anyone's taste.
However I would encourage an open mind. For instance regarding the NFL scenario of walking off the field with 40 seconds to go or a game being effectively over with 4 minutes, a 2 score lead, possession, no opposing timeouts and 2 first downs:
[i]While I prefer the game to be played competitively to the final whistle as per Canadian football, the American clock rules simply push 'crunch time' or the critical defining moments of the game earlier in the 4th quarter. There isn't a stark difference in the number of plays run per game between the NFL and CFL but in the CFL the clock rules under 3 minutes mean more plays are run under 3 minutes. The difference when you really think about it is that 'crunch time' and 'do or die' plays happen under 3 minutes in the CFL whereas they can happen anywhere under 10 minutes in the NFL depending on the score difference and number of timeouts remaining.
If you think about it in terms of how many plays a team has left to make a difference in the game as opposed to how much time is left on the clock, there isn't a huge difference between how exciting a finish is in the NFL or CFL. [/i]
Another big CFL myth concerns our 20 second clock. It starts when the ref resets the ball and the chains are reset while the game clock runs without it. In effect 30 - 35 seconds lapse between each play not unlike that which passes with the NFL's 40 second clock which starts at the conclusion of the previous play. Other than under the 3 minute warning in the CFL, the game clock is ticking away with the playclock even after an incomplete pass or run out of bounds or even on the convert which is not the case in the NFL. So we have some pretty inconsistent, time-wasting rules to keep our games under 3 hours for TV and make up for all the clock stoppages under 3 minutes.
You could even go as far to say that our plethora of amazing finishes in Canadian football are a bit of a contrivance since the game and playclocks are treated differently under 3 minutes in the 2nd and 4th quarters. In the NFL they have the warning and the clocks are treated the same way on either side of the warning.
For me, what makes Canadian football great is the 3 downs, making every play important, liberal use of motion and a kicking game that matters through the use of rules like no-yards, onside punts and kicks from scrimmage and the rouge.
JoeDavTav has to be one of the top five commenters on here as far as quality of content including also any opinions and examples and evidence to back them up. Great stuff! :thup:
Certainly many a sport is also engrained in any given culture beyond the enjoyment of the sport itself by fans and players, and I can understand folks getting caught up in the national fever in that regard as well especially at global competitions like the Olympics for those sports, but otherwise I just don't get caught up in flag-waving for sake of a professional sport and perhaps am unusual that way.
Just think of yourself back to how you were as a kid watching any given sport, and fundamentally as far as enjoyment of the game itself on the field I think you might find things are about the same for any sport you still enjoy watching or playing now. If you like the sport, it's just plain fun to watch those good at it no matter where they come from.
I myself enjoy watching American and Canadian pro football more than any other sport though enjoy more actually playing rugby union (not looking good to play again though) and sometimes soccer (some of the rules need an overhaul) even though both of those I'll tell you readily are usually boring to watch.
Lest it is a true global competition like the Olympics or any given World Cup, I don't get this need to get caught up in flag-waving and putting down also any given sport one does not like (i.e. NHL hockey, rugby union, cricket, most NCAA football, basketball) for sake of putting down any given nation in which any of these sports are enjoyed by others as well.
I think you and I share an appreciation for some of the detailed technical aspects of team field sports played with an inflated bladder, goal areas and/or goal posts...
I watched said play, I would say there was a clear difference here between what happeed in 1978 and what happened last weekend. Last weekend the QB clearly fumbled the ball. And was on his own side of the field. With Camera’s and a better written rule, this is one that should be updated. I still think it’s dumb.