Momentum

Over the years, football analysts have shoved a whole lot of subjective tripe down our throat, to the point that people actually believe them whole-heartedly, like, for instance:

The other team wanted it more.

This team is playing with such emotion right now.

They're hungry.

What this team has to do is smash the other team in the mouth.

It's obvious this team was looking ahead to next week's showdown with (enter good team here) and had a letdown.

This team is having a championship hangover.

And finally: This team has the momentum.

This post, as you have surmised from the title, concerns momentum. It is yet another garbage comment with no merit.

Yes, we surely can see a number of games where one team was ahead, appeared to be in control, and then a series of plays, or one "momentous" play unlocked the floodgates and that team found themselves behind, or routed, or unable to come back.

But just like any other immeasurable aspect of life, momentum can be swung to the other side in one play, or, what happens the most--simply dies. I'll see a team with supposed momentum, they have the crowd behind them, they're raucous, they're playing with spirit, all that...and then the defense forces a 4-and-out series. Then there's a punt. Then you think, wow, they've already got the ball back...the crowd quiets down. The home team runs a series, and most of the time, they too have to punt. So all that "momentum" that a big deal was made about means nothing at this point.

A comment during the Giants/Seahawks game (paraphrased): In the first half the Giants had the momentum. In the second half, the Seahawks have had the momentum.

If momentum is such a big deal, then how come it can be so easily swung? Analysts refer to momentum as if it's a freight train carrying gold bars about to run over a little girl wearing a blue bonnet carrying a lollipop. When they announce that a team has momentum, it's supposed to mean something to the game--it should be something that FACTORS into the outcome. But it doesn't...not in a significant way.

True momentum is where a team has done something that devastates the other team, causes confusion among the ranks...where you see the team without it playing "flat" and seemingly conceding the loss. And I'll tell you, these moments are rare. When USC came roaring back against Fresno State a couple of weeks ago, and it looked like nothing could stop them anymore, Fresno came back and made it a game--they even took the lead. But the so-called momentum did not help them stop USC on the ensuing series.

I suppose, you could argue, that momentum isn't supposed to be some sort of freight train, that by its nature momentum is something that is supposed to stop. That what I've been arguing has been correct but I'm arguing on the wrong side--yes, momentum can change--we don't dispute that! However, if that's the case, it's no more significant than talking about the wind, its velocity, its direction. We should be hearing John Madden say, "That wind was blowing north, and now, it's blowing south," and Al Michaels answering, "That could be significant." Yes, it could be. It very well could.