For the last three days the NFL has been vacillating over what to do about this weekend’s game featuring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Miami Dolphins. The problem is that Hurricane Irma, with its torrential rainfall and 150 mph winds, is forecast to make landfall near Miami around game time Sunday.
After contemplating moving the game to another site, or else playing it two or three days earlier, the NFL ultimately decided to move the game to the two teams’ mutual bye week in week 11.
And as per usual, the league blew it. The NFL should have let the game be played in Miami. At the original time and place. In the middle of the hurricane.
Inclement weather always makes a football game more entertaining, and the more severe the weather, the more compelling the game becomes. A football game played in sunshine is good. A game played in a light snow is better. A game played in a snowstorm is awesome.
The same goes for rain: While it may make the game a bit sloppier, the battle against the elements becomes more compelling than the battle between the teams. In a driving rain with hurricane-force winds, it’s hard to just stand upright. Blocking a linebacker or making a tackle would be difficult. Throwing even a short pass might be impossible. And kicking? Buckle up your chinstrap.
A game played under these conditions would be incredibly compelling television. The ratings would be phenomenal, possibly even Super Bowl-level. What household wouldn’t watch to see how the teams manage in such conditions?
Sure, the sport being played would have little resemblance to actual football. And the winner of the game would be undoubtedly determined by sheer luck. And the conditions would present a clear and present danger to the two teams. But so what? Neither team has a real chance at getting to the Super Bowl or even winning a playoff game, and professional tackle football is plenty dangerous without the weather.
Here’s hoping the league realizes its mistake and gets those teams back to Miami before the roads close.
