Until 2 years ago, I was never really into watching sports. Growing up, I watched some hockey with my dad but as I got older, I stopped tuning in. It just wasn’t for me; I didn’t like the violence or the stigma that surrounded certain players and teams – it was just all to aggressive. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school when I subscribed to NBA on Youtube on a whim that I actually starting following a major league sport. I just really liked the basketball highlights. They were dramatic, athletic, and oddly relatable but I didn’t have time to watch a full game. That being said, watching NBA highlights just weren’t a time commitment. I could do all my work, talk to my friends and then go on youtube and catch the highlights.

Thinking about how technology has impacted how we watch sports in general, it’s hard to ignore the dwindling attendance of sporting events. With the advancement of instant replay, watching a game at home almost makes you feel closer to the action than when you go and see it live. Sitting on my couch watching the Packers play, I get instant replay, ariel views of the stadium, great commentary, and I don’t have to freeze my ass off watching a night game over Thanksgiving. I think it was genius for the Cowboys to put in a giant screen in their stadium because it brings some of the advantages of new technology along with the excitement and atmosphere of stadium. I don’t think that people will stop going to games, but if other owners don’t take this account soon, I see ticket prices falling fast.

I got into basketball by watching the highlights but over time as I started to know the teams, I started to care. Now, trying to full me a way from a basketball game during the playoffs is one really tough task.

FYI if you haven’t seen this, it’s worth watching. I almost had a heart attack: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44T6FYdLcLc