I’m acutely aware that I’m the minority when it comes to sports preference. I’ve heard many say that watching baseball on television is as exciting as watching Bob Ross watch paint dry, so the majority of my friends were beyond excited for the first football Sunday of the season, where we flood the local watering holes for ten hours of hot wings and yelling at televisions. The National Football League is an ever-evolving entity, always searching for new ways to present their product. Let’s take a look at some early stories and storylines for the 2012 season!

NBC Brings Social Media to the Sidelines

If you caught my post about The Newsroom (or even better, watch the show) you got a taste of how intricate and pressure-packed a television broadcast can be. Producers are under rigorous time constraints and have to adhere to strict formatting guidelines to allot enough time for the game, and ridiculously expensive advertising. As a result of these restrictions, commentators can only air brief segments with their sideline reporters; and these reporters often have the inside scoop on what’s occurring down on the field. To compensate for their lack of available time, NBC is utilizing Twitter and Instagram in-game. Filming spots from the sideline and also manually updating, reporter Michelle Tafoya is updating the handle @SNFonNBC with details that would otherwise never appear during the broadcast. This brings important information such as injury updates and player comments right to the user.

Fantasy Continues to Bring Ratings

Would you sit at a bar on a Sunday afternoon to watch a matchup of the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals if you weren’t a fan? I didn’t think so; I wouldn’t wish that kind of weekend on anyone. I’ve always compared fantasy football to a jock’s version of Dungeons and Dragons, but you cannot deny the impact that the online stat-game has on the NFL’s ratings. Instead of scoffing at yet another Carson Palmer interception and changing the channel, millions of football enthusiasts find themselves watching games that they would normally deem ‘The Stinkbowl’ just to ensure a weekly victory for their team. It really is a brilliant racket by the National Football League, and the popularity of fantasy football has brought a viewership to the game that otherwise would spend Sunday cleaning.

What Will Become of the Referees?

With the NFL referee lockout still ongoing, the league’s top brass were forced to enter the season with replacements. There has not been much in the way of negotiating progress as the group of officials is firm in their stance of better pay and not being required to quit second jobs. From all accounts, the replacements did a serviceable job in their first week, but that will not stop commentators from blaming officials if a call doesn’t go their way. What will the NFL do once the lockout is ended? Will some replacement refs be permanently added to the payroll? This will be an interesting story to follow as it continues to develop.

There you have it: just a few of the trending storylines surrounding the NFL’s 93^rdseason. So don your beverage helmet and team-gear and get ready for what will prove to be an eventful few months in the football world.

-Carter Breazeale

PR/PR Public Relations