Chaos. It’s the only word that I can use to describe the NFL’s Sunday Night Football. That’s saying something considering that my entire job here is to write using exciting words. Everything about it is chaotic. The screaming fans, the players charging straight at each other on the field, the watch parties, and even the sports analysts. All for one over-glorified game of catch. It’s ridiculous. The NFL is completely overrated and it’s time someone said something about it.

According to Forbes, “the 2020 regular season averaged 15.4 million viewers” per game. 15.4 million. That’s more than the population of some countries. The entire country of Greece would have to watch football every Friday and still not have as many people watching as we do in the United States. At this point, it’s an obsession that is entirely unhealthy both physically, economically, and emotionally.

MarketWatch estimates that the average fan spends somewhere between 2,500 and 3,500 dollars per year in tickets, food, merchandise, and travel to keep up with their favorite team. There are websites and organizations dedicated to betting on football players and games and many people spend countless time and money working on their lineup and games. Time and money that could have been spent much more productively. Sunday Night Football has evolved to encapsulate most days of the week for multiple hours on end.

Masslive reports that NFL players have been arrested 855 times since 2000 including 215 DUI charges, 99 drug charges, 96 domestic violence cases, and 71 assaults. Not exactly the men that you would want your children to look up to and emulate. Yet, members of the general public regard their favorite players as heroes who can do no wrong. I’m not saying that every player is a criminal or that they all are terrible people, but some are and that shouldn’t be ignored.

Football has resulted in some of the most intense rivalries known to man. There has also been great despair because of football. Watch parties can become therapy sessions within the three hours that an NFL game lasts. That emotional turnaround is not good for anyone’s health and shows that people are way too attached to a game that is still just a game.

To add on to the pain that the NFL brings is another jarring statistic: Forbes reports that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes makes the most money in the league at 45 million dollars per year. CNBC notes that the minimum paycheck for any player is 480 thousand dollars. All because they can run fast and take a hit. It’s unethical that athletes should be paid millions of dollars when jobs that really matter, like teachers or nurses, are paid substantially less.

Maybe I’m crazy, but it seems to me that the NFL isn’t worth the hype. It isn’t worth the money, time, or emotions that millions invest into it every year. It’s time to move on. We can keep football, but let’s lessen its impact on our lives. The world should not revolve around football.