A while ago, I wrote about the NFL’s superior use of storytelling as a reason for its tremendous success. Storytelling and the narrative form can be great, but as I wrote earlier today, it can also lead to oversimplification. The biggest problems in this area occur when everyone starts chasing the same storyline instead of working on their own. There are usually at least 10 different angles you can take with any team sport, and they all have their merits. Moreover, as all stories leave certain details out of necessity, reading multiple storylines and angles can give the reader a much clearer impression of what actually went on than a single piece. Of course, this falls to pieces when everyone starts chasing the same story, overemphasizing the importance of one player or event and minimizing the contributions of others in the process.
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Earlier this summer, I wrote a couple of pieces about the reasons the NFL has become the dominant professional sports league in North America. There are plenty of factors that have gone into the NFL’s rise, and I covered many of them, but upon further reflection, there’s another one that can be added. That reason is football’s superior use of narrativium.*
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