Barroom Debate -- What Makes Football So Freaking Popular?

The NFL season starts tonight, and it seems with every year, football becomes more and more America's dominant sport. Why? What is it about football that continues to attract new fans? The medieval battle appeal of giant, human bludgeons lining up and attacking each other? The chess-like strategy of the game? Or is it the slowly dawning realization that baseball is kind of boring?

Then again, football is extremely complicated, many fans don't know the difference between a fullback and a tailback, and it's also full of commercial breaks and downtime. A football game will last more than three hours, but basically offers about 15 minutes of snap-to-whistle action.

Yet the legion of football followers, casual or otherwise, continues to grow. While this is certainly an endorsement of what goes on on the field, we do think there are some more external factors that have contributed to the NFL's rise. So we'd like to weigh which of these factors is the most important to our readers.

Get involved in our investigation of pigskin popularity after the jump.

The Food
There are only so many foodstuffs that you can eat while watching football and they are almost all grilled or fried and delicious. Such gluttony is almost patriotic.

Fantasy Football
Having a fantasy team or two plus a real-life favorite squad means Sunday is spent with your brain tied in knots as you try to figure out which players to root for when. But is there a better time waster during the work week than obsessing over fantasy football? Not to mention, the boss can't complain because he's frantically checking his league's waiver wire, too.

Gambling
There is no better way to welcome the new week than winning 500 bucks on a three-team teaser. Because, of course, that's the way it always goes down.

Chicks Wearing Football Jerseys
Some do it because they like the colors, and others because they actually follow the sport, but any girl who can pull off wearing the uniform of her favorite team gets our blood pumping. It's best not to think too much about why that is; just sit back and enjoy the view.

The Ritual That Is Football
Football really is like church. Only there isn't any guilt involved and you can get up and scream any time you want. What we're trying say is, football is really nothing like church.