![There are a number of people who watch football because they want to see a couple good plays. [Image: Casey H/Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/8/27/660x290/b_502x220x82/clemson-is-still-the-champion-casey-h-via-wikimedia-commons_1532485.jpg "There are a number of people who watch football because they want to see a couple good plays. [Image: Casey H/Wikimedia Commons]")
There are a few different plays in football that are Illegal even if we cannot tell. Some people have claimed that the pick play at the end of the national title game between Clemson and Alabama was illegal. Some would claim it was legal. We honestly cannot know for sure, and it would bring about a firestorm of debate to truly open up the phone lines to ask about it. I believe a better questions concerns how we watch football. There are little intricacies in the game that we will not catch because we are not football players and coaches ourselves.
I prefer watching football
I want to see well-contested games between teams that appear to be prepared. There are a number of people who watch football because they want to see a couple good plays, cheer for the team they prefer, and have a nice time with friends and family. Breaking down football is a job best left to people who have telestrators on TV. I want to hear people talk about it on the radio, but I do not want to pour over every play that is not all that egregious. Blown calls that we can all see are something of a different sort.
Catching what is obvious
The most obvious plays in a game are those that we get most upset about. We have seen many plays that change the course of games, and we have cried about them because we can see plainly what the right call is.
I have no idea if the play at the end of the National Title game is legal or not, and I honestly could not care less. I can imagine myself sitting in front of the TV listening to both sides of the argument, and I cannot imagine a scenario in which we can all agree. Plays that are obvious to those on the field are where I draw the line for poor officiating.
Perhaps we need rule changes?
The NCAA does some of the strangest things in the world with regard to their competition guidelines. They will suspend players and sanction programs because a kid got a $25 phone card to call their grandparents in Nigeria, but they will pocket billions of dollars using that same kid's likeness. They will allow teams to make their coaches the highest paid public employees in each state, but they will not offer extra benefits to students who actually need them.
It may be time to change the rules to make college football a bit more accessible to everyone. If a massive argument over this play had ensued after the national title game, I would have thrown my hands up at the whole thing. We all have better things to worry about where college athletes are concerned.
