Nothing beats the NFL

I had the pleasure of being able to attend the Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers game last week (pictured on the right with my friend Ed), and I have to admit I love the atmosphere at an NFL game.

Now I realize that living in Canada there will be many of you out there saying "what about the CFL"? I have nothing against the CFL, believe me. But comparing the two leaves a lot to be desired.

The Noise:

This was my second trip to a Seahawks game, having attended their playoff game against the Redskins last year. On Thursday it poured rain, the wind gusts reached hurricane force, the game started late due to the weather conditions, and yet the place was packed full of hardy fans ready to cheer on their team. The noise of the 67,650 paid in attendance was deafening.

In comparison, in November I attended the BC Lions Western Final where they knocked off the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I remember people commenting how loud it was - and yes, for the CFL it was loud. But compare that to what's in the NFL, and you swear you could hear a pin drop.

The Stadium:

The Seahawks stadium itself, Qwest Field, is certainly a sight to behold in and of itself. Built a few years back to replace the decrepit Kingdome, the sightlines, the amenities, and the food at Qwest Field are spectacular.

While BC Place is a good home for the BC Lions, I firmly believe the indoor building takes away from the atmosphere. As well, food options are few and far between - and those that are there could use some work on quality and speed of service.

The Product on the Field:

While the CFL is geared to be a more exciting game, the NFL is able to pull off an all around better product. In Seattle there is always quality entertainment - including a solid half time show. The CFL doesn't have that - and when it does only at the Grey Cup. As well, the players in the NFL are the best in the world competing on the world stage. While CFL players are very solid to be sure, it is certainly tricky for them to make the jump to the NFL - although there are those who have done so very successfully (Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia).

While I admire the work done by BC Lions Head Bob Ackles, he can only work with what he's got (although he'd make a great commissioner of the league one day).

The CFL certainly draws the football fans in this town. Now it just has to work on growing it's base and attracting non-traditional fans to the game as well. Working on the above items will go a long way to make that happen, but how practical they are remain to be seen.