During the Super Bowl last February, I recorded the seconds of each play and came up with some startling figures which, I am sure, fans are unaware of because it is billed as the most exciting sports event of the year.
I found that the Colts had a total of 71 plays that took 403 seconds for their nine possessions. Plays averaged 5.48 seconds. Their total playing time was 6 minutes, 3 seconds. The Saints had a total of 66 plays that took 370 seconds for their 10 possessions. Plays averaged 5.4 seconds and their total playing time was 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
That means the total playing time was 11 minutes and 33 seconds (when the ball was “in play”) during the two hours and 36 minutes the game was on. The teams walked off the field with 44 seconds left on the clock — the only sport that does that.
So, what is so exciting about the Super Bowl, or football in general? Is it the tailgate parties or the parties at home that make the big game so exciting?
People complain about how baseball is slow, but you can’t compare a sport that is one-on-one (pitcher vs. batter) with a contact sport. But 11 minutes and 33 seconds of playing time for a game that has four 15-minute quarters (60 minutes of supposed playing time) makes me wonder what happened to the other 48 minutes and 27 seconds of excitement?
Bert Godin, Lewiston
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