It's been somewhat of a pop culture meme for at least as long as I've been around that the kind of folks that follow and participate in sports aren't the same type of people that are into technology. You know the stereotypes. The Nerd - The Jock. The teacher's aid in the computer lab - the captain of the football team. But despite the fact that we've been told from a young age that only a bite from a radioactive spider can change the geeky kid into a pro wrestler and star of the basketball team (not to mention masked crime-fighter), the webs of technology and sports have never been more intertwined.
You needn't look any further than this very website to see how technology can enhance the way you experience sports. And thanks to the good people over at Samsung, over the next three weeks I'm going to take a look at a few ways that these two worlds collide to make my life as a sports fan better than ever. Jump if you love your DVR!
The first piece of technology I wanted to write about was an obvious choice for me. Tonight I'll be helping my kids carve pumpkins over at my aunts house while my beloved Warriors will be slugging it out with the LA Clippers. What is a father to do? Put the game on in the background and not fully enjoy it, while also missing out on fun family memories? Get dry updates from my phone that seem to leave all the things I love about hoops lost in translation from the court to the box score? No way! I have my DVR set to record (or at least I hope I do... Honey?!?! Can you check the DVR for me?) and as long as I can avoid any sports updates from 7:30 to around 9:00 the game will be waiting for me, and the excitement will be as good as if the NBA put the whole night on hold until I parked myself on the couch ready to watch it live.Nights like this aren't the only time I use my DVR either. When you have a four year old boy and a one year old girl at home you aren't always ready to sit down and focus on a ball game whenever tip-off happens to be. I'd much prefer to have some family time, and then when the kids go to bed I turn the game on enjoy. I get to replay questionable calls or amazing plays as many times as I want, and with a push of the pause button any time is a good time to grab a drink or an antidepressant (hopefully that won't be required this season). Oh, and did I mention that you can skip through all the commercials? Well, you know, all the commercials except the Samsung ones. You should totally watch those.
How does technology enhance your fan experience? Let me know in the comments.
Seriously, I'm writing more of these and your ideas certainly couldn't hurt ;-)