Watching on TV vs. Live (Probably a repeat discussion)

[Izulde]

So I realized this afternoon, despite it being Homecoming and what I've jokingly referred to my friends as the Izulde Bowl between Wyoming and UNLV, I've had virtually no interest in going to the game.

Part of is it because Sam Boyd Stadium is a pain in the ass to get to, a 20-30 minute drive from campus or two buses for those who don't drive, but another large part of it is that I don't like watching regular season football in person nearly as much as I do watching it on TV or online.

On the one hand, it makes me think I'm not as good a fan; on the other hand, I don't like dealing with the crowds and having to get there pretty early to get a good seat. This was the case even more so at Arkansas, which is also why I quit going to games.

In contrast, I went to pretty much every home Wyoming football game, because it was on campus and I could get a good viewing area no matter when I went.

I think viewing and access are a large part of this for me. On TV, that's never a problem because of the cameras, etc. In large stadiums with a considerable number of fans, it's an issue.

This is also why I absolutely despise teams who don't have names on the back of the jerseys. It makes it very difficult for me to tell who is who unless I have numbers memorized. It's one of the things I hated about Wyoming and one of the things that made me angriest about the previous Rebels football coach, when he took the names off. It makes it much more difficult to follow the games.

I think the UNLV men's hoops opener last night further helped me clarify this. I've always loved watching basketball in person more than football, because you're much closer to the action and able to track the players much more easily, both because of fewer numbers and the lack of obfuscating equipment.

Furthermore, while I could follow everyone on UNLV's team right away because they had names and numbers, it took me most of the first half before I could start easily picking out who was who on UC-Riverside because of the lack of names on the back of the jerseys.

I also think the reason why I'll watch football over basketball on TV, and why I say football is my favorite sport in part, is because you lose the whole court immediacy you get in person by watching basketball on TV. And yet, the converse is true for football. You actually gain more immediacy by watching it on television than in person, or so I've found.

I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy or something. But I figured I'd throw it out there and see what FOFC thinks.

[ColtCrazy]

I wouldn't say you are crazy. You are probably more of the majority where as I would definitely be in the minority.

My dad and I have a pair of season tickets to the Colts. In the past 23 years, I have missed just 5 games. Granted, 3 have been in the past couple of years but that's more because of 4 kids and work wearing me out and making me sick than my lack of desire to go.

I love the atmosphere of game day. I like the little things you don't get on TV, like how Reggie Wayne makes a habit of coming over to same corner of the field to fire up the crowd (which is my corner and now starts the REG-GIE chant at every game). I love seeing the same people that have had tickets for the 20+ years with us. It's a generally fun experience.

It should probably be noted that I have tickets in row 18, so the seats are good and I get a good view.

I got a chance to go to the Super Bowl last year, and our tickets were 10 rows from the top of Dolphin Stadium (whatever it's called now). I was glad I made it to one Super Bowl, but I wouldn't repeat the experience (more for the price than the seats).

I wouldn't pass it up. In fact, I'm somewhat disappointed that I can't afford IU basketball season tickets this year because they have a good class comng in soon and I'd love to be up there for the games.

[Izulde]

I actually love watching basketball in person, especially college. IMO, the Thomas and Mack is the best basketball arena I've been in, certainly collegiately. (The only professional one I've been is in the Bradley Center and we had nosebleed seats, so it wasn't nearly as much fun, and the BC didn't leave a strong impression on me).

[Izulde]

I should also add that this preference for TV as far as football goes applies to regular season games. A playoff game or a bowl game would be a different matter entirely.

Baseball I'd lean more towards in-person because of the slower pace of the game, the set lineups and positions, ease of tracking via scorecards, etc. I enjoy going to Brewers games, even though I'm a White Sox fan and have been wanting for years to go to the Cell.

[Pyser]

i grew up with season tickets to the ny giants, 17th row, 40 yard line. amazing seats. eventually i took over the seats from my dad, we had 4 of them. i lived for sundays. i believe the price was $70 when i bought my last season - $2,800 for the entire season.

then the psl's happened. my seats were, i believe, in the $20-thousand per seat range. that's $80-thousand just for the RIGHTS to buy my seats. then each tickets is $160, or $6,400 for the season.

not to mention another $20 for parking, before we even get into eating there. oh, and freezing in the winter.

or i can watch at home. hmm.

[RainMaker]

I think football is much better from home. If you have an HDTV, you'll get all the details/angles that you'd miss from being in the stands. You also don't have to deal with the countless timeouts and potential bad weather. I've just never found it to be a good live sport.

Basketball and hockey are the opposite for me. The crowd really can feed the game and I love the atmosphere. I've had Bulls season tickets for a number of years and love going to the games. The stadium is state-of-the-art and it's just not as much a zoo as football games are.

[Ryan S]

Golf is a sport that is much, much better on TV than live.

[Jughead Spock]

I agree with RainMaker on all three. Pro football and TV are made for each other.

[korme]

I've completely accepted the fact that I would much rather watch the Bengals on TV than in person. I got tickets for our final home game this year as an early Christmas present, and almost bitched about how cold and miserable I'm going to be.

[Ksyrup]

I can't stand football games in-person. I went to a handful of games in the 13 years I lived in Tallahassee and just went to our first UK game in 5 years in Lexington. The only reason we went is because our girls haven't experienced a game, so we thought they would enjoy it. And they did, but my 11-year old says to me at some point in the 2nd quarter - "I can follow the game much better on TV. It's so hard to follow that the announcer has to tell you what happened after every play because you really can't tell from up here." So true. And we had 23rd row between the 45 and 50, so it's not like we were stuck in a corner or up way high. We had really good seats, but I missed my couch and watching 4 games at one time.

[Logan]

College football = in person. Pro football = at home. Completely different experiences.

[wade moore]

College football = in person. Pro football = at home. Completely different experiences.
This.

[CU Tiger]

College definitely in person.
pro 50/50.
My biggest problem is thee lack of control of camera angles. I cant tell you how many times pre snap I cant tell you what coverage the D is in from TV. No I fully understand many "fans" couldn't tell you that in person, freeze frame with the selection down to a 1 out of 2 multiple choice, but for a fan of the game within a game I am not a big fan of TV.

Now if the silent coaches film feed was offered, I am not sure how much money I would pay directv/time warner/ et. al for it....I might even move to have it as an option.

[stevew]

I bet All 22 film is all the rage in a few years.

Or maybe they'll give us access to all the cameras at some point. Like I would love to be able to watch the same game over 3tvs.

[lynchjm24]

This might be a crazy theory, but maybe the problem is that you are watching UNLV and Wyoming?

I can't imagine a game that I truly care about being better on TV then it is in person. I even find football is better enjoyed from the top deck as it's much easier to see how a play develops, when close there it's very difficult to discern depth.

[General Mike]

I like going to a live game for the atmosphere as much as anyone, but if I go to a Rutgers game (4 miles from my house), between traffic before and after the game, I miss a lot of other games.

I do find it easier to follow the action on TV, but going to a game for a team I care about is a fun time. I wouldn't want to tie up my whole day for just some random game tho.