Also abolish pitch heating in football!

Comment

Last night’s NFL game turned into chaos thanks to the heavy snowfall – and it was great! Sports like football should also take this as a role model.

follow me

This morning, on my way to work through snow-covered landscapes, I watched the football game between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Suddenly it started to snow on my screen – extremely. The players and the ball were difficult to see behind the snowflakes. Soon the lawn was completely white. What joy!

Because playing in the snow means pure chaos. The NFL professionals – the best in their sport – suddenly had their passes slipping through their hands, the players slipped and the throws were no longer quite as accurate.

It was a completely different game. And yet it was still fun as a viewer.

It quickly becomes clear in the comments on social media that I wasn’t the only one. In any case, snow games enjoy cult status in the USA.

Of course, many NFL stadiums have a roof that blocks out the weather. But teams from colder areas such as the Green Bay Packers, the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs in particular use the location to their advantage. Teams from the south regularly experience cold or snow shock, especially in the playoffs, which take place in January and February.

In this country, however, lawn heaters act as a brake on fun. And where there is none, the snow cover leads to postponements and cancellations.

You should actually play in all weather conditions that are not life-threatening (strong storms or thunderstorms). Does the ball not roll so well in the snow? Is the grass bad in the pouring rain and do the players always slip? So what?! We’re not into indoor football. External influences and the ability to cope with them are part of it.

This applies not only to soccer and American football, but also to sports like Formula 1. Rain racing used to be considered the supreme discipline. Today there is hardly any driving when there is water on the route. This is precisely when it would be most exciting, as the rain is seen as a great equalizer in which the advantages of the car are significantly smaller and the driver’s qualities are much more important. Here too, of course, there are limits that must not be exceeded. The health of athletes is our top priority.

Leave him alone! Before the game between FCZ and St.Gallen, hard-working helpers clear the snow from the lawn.Bild: keystone

However, conditions that do not endanger this excessively should not be a reason for rejection. Because spectacle and show are guaranteed in rain and snow. What happens on the grass and track is much more unpredictable. The great Bayern Munich can also stumble in Saarbrücken. Or Sebastian Vettel defeating Ferrari and McLaren in the outsider car Toro Rosso. Then suddenly ice hockey is no longer just played on a slippery surface that makes the game unpredictable.

And that would be a nice idea in today’s sport and especially in football, where the big ones are getting bigger (i.e. “richer”) and the little ones are getting smaller and smaller (i.e. “poorer”).

Oh, by the way, for those of you who are interested: Cleveland dramatically won the game against Pittsburgh 24:19.