Finally, We'll Once Again Know When To Raise The Roof

If you have an HDTV of at least 37 inches and a chair that reclines there really isn't any reason to attend an NFL game in person. You save money on tickets, don't have to leave the house, and most likely have a better view of the game to boot. I know this, you know this, and more importantly the NFL knows this. That's why they are trying to make the in-game experience more fun by dropping a 21-year ban on displaying pump up messages on the stadium's video screens.

The ban was originally instituted to protect opposing teams that had trouble communicating when the fans got too raucous. But the in-helmet radios that coaches have used to communicate to players since 1994 have quelled most of those concerns.

This is a long overdue rule adjustment in my opinion. Can you believe that for more than two decades the NFL expected us to know when to make noise based only on what is happening in the game? How am I supposed to know when to "raise the roof" if I'm carrying a tray of nachos in one hand, checking my fantasy lineup with the other, all while yelling at the guy in my section who thought it was a good idea to wear a basketball jersey to a football game? I'm only one man!

This rule has very little to do with the actual game, but it can have the "Hype Man" kind of impact on the overall product that Flava Flav had on Public Enemy; which is to say a rather big one. It remains to be seen if this rule is enough to get our obese asses off our couches and into the stadium, but it certainly can't hurt.