I'm similarly wired but spoiled by the NFL. I usually have a tougher time with other levels but I watch a lot of them. CFL, AFL, XFL, USFL, NCAA...I'll watch just about anything that's resembling professional. HS and PeeWee were only fun to play, not to watch.
Speaking of spoiled, that's what led me to start tuning out of SB's and breaking that habit for a while. All the blowouts. I used to watch them all and even went back and watched old one's I was too young for. My first was XIV but it didn't mean the same thing as I was just learning what football was and who I was going to root for. But XV, I watched even though I had nothing vested in either team. XVI I was rooting against the 49ers.
But that started a rash of dynasties. Which I always seemed to be rooting against. Redskins, 49ers, Cowboys...it seemed like whichever team I was rooting against they were winning the SB. It got old and then the SB's started becoming blowouts and boring. The Bills, Broncos, Chargers, Dolphins...they just couldn't compete and I wasn't the only one losing interest and even tuning out.
The league had to do something and whatever it was, at some point, the SB rarely became a blowout. Every year there's some kind of storyline and the game is now usually close. I don't think it's a coincidence but I also prefer that there's a game of it instead of watching the 49ers blow out the Chargers in a farce. I just try and tune out those thoughts of manipulation and staging and enjoy that the games aren't blowouts anymore.
