• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Viewpoints Radio

Viewpoints Radio

Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.

  • Home
  • Archive
    • Full Segment Archive
    • Advanced Search
    • Filters
    • Recent Segments
    • Segment Finder (Sort & Filter)
    • Segment Type
      • Culture Crash
      • Feature Stories
      • Inside Looks
    • Terms
      • Books & Publications
      • Genres
      • Guests
      • Institutions & Organizations
      • Movies, TV & Digital Media
      • Notable Figures
      • Program Numbers
      • Topics
  • How to Listen
    • Podcast & Digital Outlets
    • Terrestrial Broadcast
    • Ways to Listen Overview
  • About
    • About Viewpoints Radio
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • Our Team
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Login
    • Become an Affiliate
    • Benefits of Being an Affiliate
    • More About Syndicated Radio Programming
    • Public Affairs & FCC Requirements FAQ
    • Sample Programs
culture crash - radio segments

Culture Crash: The Countdown to Football Season

The NFL turns 100 this year. We discuss the American tradition of football and why the sport is so
near and dear to many of our hearts.

You are here: Home / Archive / Culture Crash / Culture Crash: The Countdown to Football Season
Published: August 25, 2019 by VPR Producer


Welcome to Culture Crash, where we examine American culture – what’s new and old in entertainment…

The NFL Preseason is well underway and the start of the regular season is just around the corner. On September 5, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will kick off the league’s 100th season in Chicago, beginning the mad dash to the Super Bowl in February.

One hundred years after the NFL’s inception, and despite all of the sport’s dangers, football remains the king of U.S. culture. Every year, Sunday Night Football ratings dominate the year-end most-watched TV program lists, Thanksgiving has become a holiday that revolves around watching football, and the Super Bowl is practically its own national holiday. What is it about football that makes it so culturally present, even more than other American sports like basketball and baseball?

I think the ritualistic aspect of it cannot be overlooked. MLB teams play 162 games and NBA teams play 82 games. For both sports, the schedule is jam-packed. Teams play on every day of the week and, in baseball, sometimes, they even play twice in one day. That means no casual fan realistically can see every game. But the NFL is appointment viewing, because every team plays just 16 regular season games and they mostly fall on Sundays. Sure, Thursdays and Mondays see action, and late in the season, Saturdays get some love. But for most of the fall, fans can reliably sit down on a Sunday and watch their favorite team. And that regularity has, at least for me, made watching the NFL a tradition. My family uses football games as a convenient way to gather in the back-to-school madness and when cold, windy days begin to signify the start of winter. We’ve done so for as long as I can remember. While we may once in a while catch a Bulls or Cubs game together, a Bears game is a ritual, and none of us can stand to miss a minute.

So yes, on September 5, my family, and so many others, will gather around the TV and watch the beginning of the NFL season. The king of our American culture, for better or worse.


I’m Evan Rook.


Transcript
Email Download New Tab

Culture Crash 19-34: The Countdown to Football Season

The NFL Preseason is well underway and the start of the regular season is just around the corner. On September 5, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will kick off the league’s 100th season in Chicago, beginning the mad dash to the Super Bowl in February.

One hundred years after the NFL’s inception, and despite all of the sport’s dangers, football remains the king of U.S. culture. Every year, Sunday Night Football ratings dominate the year-end most-watched TV program lists, Thanksgiving has become a holiday that revolves around watching football, and the Super Bowl is practically its own national holiday. What is it about football that makes it so culturally present, even more than other American sports like basketball and baseball?

I think the ritualistic aspect of it cannot be overlooked. MLB teams play 162 games and NBA teams play 82 games. For both sports, the schedule is jam-packed. Teams play on every day of the week and, in baseball, sometimes, they even play twice in one day. That means no casual fan realistically can see every game. But the NFL is appointment viewing, because every team plays just 16 regular season games and they mostly fall on Sundays. Sure, Thursdays and Mondays see action, and late in the season, Saturdays get some love. But for most of the fall, fans can reliably sit down on a Sunday and watch their favorite team. And that regularity has, at least for me, made watching the NFL a tradition. My family uses football games as a convenient way to gather in the back-to-school madness and when cold, windy days begin to signify the start of winter. We’ve done so for as long as I can remember. While we may once in a while catch a Bulls or Cubs game together, a Bears game is a ritual, and none of us can stand to miss a minute.

So yes, on September 5, my family, and so many others, will gather around the TV and watch the beginning of the NFL season. The king of our American culture, for better or worse.

Scroll back to top

Sign up to receive email updates

Enter your name and email address below and I’ll send you periodic updates about the podcast.

powered by

Show Transcript

Program #: 19-34segment type: Culture CrashTopics - American Culture and History| Family and Interpersonal Relationships| Football| Media and Entertainment| Sports and Recreation| TV SeriesInstitutions - National Football League (NFL)Genres - Primetime TVtagged with - Evan Rook
  • 7Share on Facebook
  • 8Share on Twitter
  • 6Share on Instagram
  • 2Share on LinkedIn
  • 1Share on Reddit
  • 4Share on Pinterest
  • 16Share on Email

Related Segments:

culture crash - radio segments

Culture Crash: Movies to Look Forward to in 2019

The Haunting Of Hill House & Bly Manor

Culture Crash: The Haunting of Hill House & Bly Manor

culture crash - radio segments

Culture Crash: HBO’s Westworld

Culture Crash 21-31: Pig – Starring Nicholas Cage

Culture Crash: Pig – Starring Nicholas Cage

Culture Crash: Beyonce’s Dominance in Pop Culture

modern vinyl record player

Culture Crash: The Return of Vinyl Records

Previous Post:The Role of Non-Profits in Ending Human Trafficking
Next Post:The Price of News: The Challenges Female Arab Journalists Face

About VPR Producer

Since 2000, Viewpoints Radio has been bringing listeners the relevant information they crave in current events, literature, entertainment and more. Both Viewpoints Radio and sister show Radio Health Journal are productions of AURN.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay up-to-date on the latest in current events, public affairs, literature, culture, entertainment & more.

Enter your email address to get notifications & instant access to new Viewpoints Radio segments as they are released.

Start airing Viewpoints Radio on your platform to satisfy FCC OPIF requirements, including quarterly issues/programming reports.

Become an Affiliate

Connect

Interact with us by sharing comments, favorite segments, questions or even suggest a topic.

  • Facebook link
  • Twitter
  • Instagram link
  • Pinterest link
  • spotify link
  • YouTube link
  • RSS Feed
  • contact by email

American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) logo

Listen

  • Archive
  • Broadcast
  • Guests
  • Podcast & Digital Outlets
  • Recently Aired
  • Terms
  • Topics
  • Ways to Listen

Learn

  • About Us
  • Affiliates
  • Contact Info
  • FAQ
  • Our Team
  • Public Affairs & FCC Requirements
  • AURN.com
  • Sitemap

© Copyright 2022 – American Urban Radio Networks

↑ Return to top