So, I was curious about how long a football game is. I decided to find out by actually going to a game and keeping track of the time myself.
I first bought a ticket to a local football game. I got to the stadium early, excited to start my little experiment. I sat down in my seat, took out my phone, and started the stopwatch as soon as the players ran onto the field for the pre – game warm – up.
The pre – game warm – up seemed to last forever. Players were running around, passing the ball, and doing all sorts of drills. It felt like it took about 30 minutes, and my stopwatch confirmed it. Then, the national anthem was played, and that added another 2 minutes or so.
Finally, the game started. The first quarter was full of action. There were lots of runs, passes, and tackles. But there were also a ton of time – outs. Teams would call time – outs to discuss strategies, and the refs would stop the game for various reasons. The first quarter ended up taking about 45 minutes, even though it’s supposed to be just 15 minutes of actual play time.
The second quarter was similar. There were more plays, more time – outs, and some penalties. The halftime show came after the second quarter. It was a big deal, with cheerleaders, bands, and all that. That took about 20 minutes.
After halftime, the third quarter started. This quarter had even more delays. There was a problem with the scoreboard, which stopped the game for a good 10 minutes. By the time the third quarter ended, it had been almost an hour since it started.
The final quarter was intense. Both teams were trying hard to win. There were more time – outs and some really close plays. And then there was the overtime. The game went into overtime because the scores were tied at the end of the fourth quarter. Overtime added another 15 minutes or so of play, but with all the breaks, it took about 30 minutes.
When the game finally ended, I stopped my stopwatch. In total, from the start of the pre – game warm – up to the end of the overtime, the whole thing took about 4 hours! That’s way longer than I thought. I mean, I knew there were breaks and all, but 4 hours is a long time to sit in a stadium.
So, from my experience, a football game can be a real time – eater. It’s not just the 60 minutes of actual play time. There are pre – game stuff, halftime shows, time – outs, penalties, and sometimes overtime. It’s like a whole day event!
