It seems the overwhelming trend now when winning the opening toss is to elect to kick. My recollection of the 80s and 90s was that teams elected to receive. I’m not sure when this changed or why. Any thoughts on why and when it changed?
Also, is this maybe a Mandela effect where we are remembering history wrong (other fans I’ve asked recall the same thing in the 80s).
Starting the second half with the ball, regardless of game script, probably feels a lot better. Especially if you’re driving towards the end of the first half, you can control the ball and go for a back-to-back possession to score, or “lapping” the other team as some call it.