Welcome back to another edition of What Did I Just Watch. I hope that you were able to enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In our household we had a nice relaxing weekend filled with a lot of self-care and renewal. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. This week’s article is going to be a little short because of the holiday weekend, but I do have a takeaway or two to share.

Even Casual Fans Know We Have An Officiating Problem

On Thursday I was lucky enough to spend the early afternoon watching the game with my Dad who is the very definition of a casual fan. I love his enthusiasm for plays that are very much routine to those of us who spend hours and hours watching games every week. But, to him they are rare and exciting!

As we were watching the game, I was shocked when I heard him say something to the effect that the officiating crew was awful. Now, he doesn’t know all of the nuance of the game, so it came as a surprise to me that he would say something to that effect. So, I asked him about it. He went on to tell me that every time he sits down to watch a little bit of the games he sees calls that even he doesn’t agree with. He continued to say that since official review exists in almost every other spot, he thinks that football should adopt it too. One of his examples included the GPS chips that they put in tennis balls so they know immediately if it is in or out.

As we spoke about this a bit more, I told him that I had commented about the officiating a fair bit this year calling out a lot of the irregularities that he had been noting. It was obvious that he felt validated that I, his “football expert” son, agreed with him about this issue. My biggest takeaway from our exchange was this. If a casual fan like my father can see the problem with the officiating, it should be noticeable to those in charge of the NFL that something needs to be done. What changes those are, we will all just need to wait and see.

How Much Is Too Much

For the first time that I can remember we were treated to NFL football on 4 different days this week. We had our every week Monday nighter, the customary triple header on Thanksgiving, our full Sunday slate, and for the first time ever a Black Friday game. Now, I love NFL football as much as anyone, but I found myself looking for other entertainment options at times. I almost became desensitized to all of the football that I was able to consume. This caused me to question the need for an extra day of games.

I know that the business of the NFL will always prioritize profit over all, but at some point you have to consider the fan experience as well. If a superfan like me can get burnt out on the product, you have to wonder what casual fans think. And, if the league starts losing the fanbase, profits will begin to follow. I don’t wish any ill for the NFL at all, but we need to remember that at one point no one would have ever believed another sport would be more popular than baseball in this country either. It becomes a very thin tightrope to walk to try and keep fans happy while focusing on profits first.

That’s going to do it for me this week. I am going to finish the day off by enjoying the last of my short vacation before I have to head back to work. As always, if I can help you out with your fantasy rosters and lineups, please reach out on X(Twitter) @2fatguysff