I’m a huge football fan. By far my favorite sport. The NFL especially. I can give or take college football. Between too many mismatches, way too many meaningless bowl games, no playoff system in FBS, the whole BCS system, the pansy overtime rules…there’s just so much to dislike. But hey, it’s still football, so that makes it OK.

But on Sunday afternoons, I don’t want to know anything from anyone. I want to plant my ass on the couch for the next ten hours and not be disturbed. Don’t call my phone because I won’t answer. Don’t send me an email because I’m not checking it. And for heaven’s sake, between the months of September and early February, if you want me to show up to your birthday parties, kids birthday parties, social gatherings and various other events, plan to have them on Saturdays. If that’s not possible, then you’d better plan on having a TV somewhere in the general vicinity. Otherwise, you’ll get my card and/or gift either in the mail or the next time I see you.

I like football. But something strange happened just a few recent weeks ago. I was in the midst of my usual Sunday afternoon routine when, for some still unknown reason (maybe I was stuck watching the Jets), I changed the channel and found myself strangely drawn to what I had stumbled upon. At first I tried to resist and return to football, but every time a commercial was on, I went right back to my new found attraction.

What was it you ask? What was it that could possibly pull me away from my beloved NFL? It was an exhibition. An exhibition of accuracy, power and skill. It was the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship and quite simply, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. They say “Chicks dig the long ball.” Well guess what…so do I. And so do most other golfers and golf fans. Think about when you’re on the course with your buddies. When someone sinks a nice putt or makes a great chip…that’s all that’s said – “Nice putt man” or “great up-and-down” – that’s it. But when a member of your foursome rips into a drive that sails about 320 down the pipe…now there’s a reaction from the other guys in the area! We all know it’s only part of the game, but people love to see it. It’s like the home run in baseball. Sometimes it may be completely meaningless…but people still love to oooh and aaah when it happens.

This gets me thinking; Why is the PGA not capitalizing on the potential popularity of this by creating their own exhibition? Think about it. MLB has the immensely popular Home Run Derby. The NBA has two popular exhibitions with the slam-dunk contest and the three-point shootout. These leagues have figured out this is what fans love to see. So they give it to them! Why not have some of the long drivers on the PGA tour take on some of the guys from the LDA on the Wednesday before one (or more) of the majors? Not only could they possibly gain some TV time, but they could sure make some extra money at the gate with an extra day for the fans to get in!

Wouldn’t you like to see John Daly grab hold of one of those custom 50″ drivers and just tear into one? Wouldn’t it be great to see him go up against five-time long drive champ Jason Zuback who is more than capable of 400+ yard drives on an almost regular basis?! Now that’s a show! Another benefit for the PGA would be to get fans more familiar with some of the golfers most of us have never heard of.

Anyone know who Robert Garrigus is? No? That’s because he was #127 on the money list. But he led the tour in driving distance at 312 yards. How about Charley Hoffman? He was #41 on the money list, certainly off the radar for many fans. But did you know he hit a 467-yard drive at the Valero Open in 2009? That’s right, I just said 4-6-7! Dustin Johnson was 15th on the money list, so he’s more recognizable. But did you know he hit five drives last year over 400 yards? Take any one of these three guys, put a custom long-drive club in their hands, and you have a damn good show!

I feel, especially with the #1 golfer temporarily out of the picture, now is the time to experiment with some things that may help to draw the fans that will undoubtedly be missing from some of the tournaments. Hey if the Home Run Derby can go from a tape-delayed exhibition in the mid-80’s (inspired by a TV series which ran for a few months in 1960) to what it is today, then why can’t the PGA do the same? For crying out loud, take your noses out of the air, stop taking the sport so serious and give the fans something to watch simply because it’s fun. The fans will thank you for it.

For more information on the Long Drivers of America and the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, check out http://www.longdrivers.com/.