Over the last few months I have been at a loss for words over how many sporting events that are not only not on TV but also streamed online that can be accessed from a few clicks of the mouse and some navigation around the web to find the right game.
As a Canadian, trying to find sports on as a kid was extremely hard. Up until 2008, Canadian television had three sports channels. Unless you were a fan of the Bluejays Raptors, Curling or the CFL it was hard to find exciting sports on TV. To continue, in 2008, it wasn't uncommon to not go on the internet daily as very few people had smart phones. This meant that unless it was Monday Night Football or Hockey Night in Canada, there generally wasn't a game on TV not involving a team outside your region.
In fact, if you were a fan of a team outside of your TV region, it was generally only the playoffs where you saw your team on TV multiple times in a row.
For the better, internet has changed everything about how we view sports. The idea to write this article sparked up when I was watching the final seconds of the Cavaliers game on Friday night as they went up 3-0 to take a stranglehold on the 1-8 matchup in the Eastern Conference. I got a flashback to the Pistons remarkable Championship run that was finished off with Detroit beating the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
I remember how electric the Palace of Auburn Hills was for Game 5 when Detroit sealed the fate of Lakers and remember wishing more Pistons games were on TV. Fast forward to 2016 and if I really wanted to, I could watch every Pistons game online or with the purchase of NBA League Pass.
However, the internet has not only changed our sporting lifestyles from a streaming standpoint it has also impacted us from a media standpoint as well. With the help of Apps and websites, we now have the ability to listen to our favorite teams postgame shows on a nightly bases. Listening to the radio in bed was my favorite thing to do at night and now we can basically listen to any cities morning show because of the internet or iPhone Apps. This leads us to be more connected then we ever have before.
In addition, we also have social media to interact with our favorite radio show host columnist or even athlete as I illustrated in my first year Communications class in 2012, Twitter has made the average sports fan feel more connected to their favorite player, media member or team. Fans feel closer to their sports icons because fans feel like they have a more personal connection with the athletes. Without Twitter, listening to a favorite media members wouldn't be as entertaining.
Nevertheless, it is a very exciting era to be a sports fan. Over the last few months, I feel I don't have enough eyes or computers to keep an eye on the rapid breaking news that happens hourly these days. The fun question is, if this is what it is in 2016, what is in store for us in 2026....?
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