By Ron VandenBoom
It has been several years since I took the time to look into what kind of football sites are available over the Internet.
Since the football season just recently started, I thought I would take a minute and see what has changed.
Well, I am pleased to announce that very little has changed. You still have a difficult time telling one site from another. Its not because they all have the same information, or because all have the obligatory photo of a football player in the center of the page this, of course, is true enough, but it is not their most outstanding feature.
Their most outstanding feature is the way they all try and cram as much material as they can into as little space as they can.
The designers of these sports pages, like the authors of many news pages today, have decided that readability, coherence, and attractiveness mean nothing. They instead choose to use small print, confusing menus, and a page layout that looks like mother Hubbards closet to inundate the surfer with as many choices as possible. So many choices, in fact, that finding what you want is the greatest challenge youll encounter.
If you have the nerve to tackle this gridiron nightmare, you might want to start with www.nfl.com, the official site of the National Football League.
The left-side menu links to pages for information on current standings, the latest news, the players and statistics. The menu also lists special sections called the QB Club and Coaches Club.
Pick your favorite player from the clubs menu and read a short biography on the players career and his stats.
For those who want the latest scores, click on the numbers at the top of the page and see how your favorite team did last week or several weeks ago.
The site also gives surfers a chance to vote on the biggest surprise in the NFL so far the Broncos, Falcons, or Jets two losses or the Lions two wins.
For video fans, the site also has video highlights when you click on the NFL Films Theater.
Those fans who want a nostalgic look at football also can visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame at www.profootballhof.com.
Now, this is a site with class. A drop-down menu takes the place of the small print and congested look of news site,s offering surfers attractive easy access to teams and team histories. Simply choose your team and click.
Other choices listed just above the drop-down menu are About the Hall of Fame, Weekly Top Twenty, and Whats New.
About the Hall of Fame will give you a photographic tour of the Hall and explanations of what the visitor can expect to see when he comes. The top 20 is a list of passing, receiving, rushing, and scoring for the past week and who stands on top of the heap with the best statistics.
Whats New gives visitors up-to-date news from the famous Canton Ohio hall and keeps them informed on the Halls activities.
For those looking into the future, check out the NFL Super Bowl Site at www.nfl.com/sb33.
While obviously not set up for Super Bowl XXXIV yet, the site still can give surfers a refresher on all of the excitement of the last Super Bowl.
Features include videos and highlights from Super Bowl XXXIII and a profile on the most valuable player, John Elway.
All the excitement is here in an easy to find and uncrowded site with all of the Internet plug-ins that make these one-of-a-kind events so special on the Internet. This site will be updated when the next Super Bowl draws close, so you might want to write down or bookmark the address so you can find it.
