You can't even compare the two arguments of "standing around" versus "kicking a ball around", and state that you need to understand what's going on. American Football has got to be one of the more frustrating sports in the world for what actually goes on. There's like
10-12 minutes of actionper match, where you have men doing
nothingfor the most part whilst when action starts, it lasts an average of 4 seconds. Then there's 20-30 minutes of replays, 60 minutes of commercials... etc. I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not. Those plays are exciting adrenaline bursts of action, yes, but spare a thought to the poor souls in the stadium who have to sit through every single break for 3 hours!
At least in a boring 90 minutes of "kicking the ball around", you get to watch
something, and maybe if a game isn't that exciting you would still be likely to at least see 10-12 minutes of exciting moments.