Many ways to enjoy your sports

Listening to the Radio (photo by Nacho Carretero Molero on Unsplash)

How times have changed from back in our younger days of enjoying our favorite teams.

With the technology growing like it has, a sports fan can really watch their favorite teams in so many amazing ways. No matter what sport you like to watch, it is likely out there, You’re just a finger-tip away from getting to watch your favorite players in action.

But it never used to be like that. I can remember growing up and listening to a lot of sports on the radio, well before television took over and showed everything. Sure, the big games were televised, but if you were a fan of a team from out of town, you couldn’t really follow them very closely.

The Reds games were obviously a staple for me every summer night, with Marty and Joe blaring over 700 WLW. Again, this was long before you could use your smartphone to pull in the games – no, you were setting a transistor radio outside on the patio and tuning into the games. It was a ritual for me. I never missed a game. And let’s be real…baseball IS a radio sport. It is ok to watch on TV, but just sitting out on the patio late into the night with the game on is like nothing else. I still do it and it is relaxing, especially after a busy day.

As technology grew, for example, I can remember coaching AAU basketball and being in Branson, Missouri at the National tournament one season. I was listening to the Reds out by the hotel pool – this was after XM Radio was born - and I could listen to them no matter where my travels took me.

Then there were the stations I would have to pray would come in at night just so I can hopefully listen. I would often listen to WJR out of Detroit as a kid to hear Ernie Harwell call the Tigers games. Then I discovered WOWO out of Fort Wayne, where I started to listen and became a fan of the Fort Wayne Komets, my first taste of hockey. To this day, when you see me with Airpods in, I am likely listening to the Penguins or the Komets games during hockey season.

Now the world is inundated with social media that gives us up-to-the-second reports and updates on our favorite teams. I mean, my phone buzzes within seconds of a big play from any of my favorite teams when I follow their social media accounts and have my notifications turned on. In fact, I am on the road so much covering sports, I often have to turn off my notifications from social media during the games if I plan to watch it later because it definitely ruins the outcome for me.

One of the best advances has been the EPSN app, where you can get ESPN+, a college basketball fan’s dream. My involvement in women’s basketball is very actively known nationally and you can literally find hundreds of games on that app, which also is available on my smart TV. Since I know so many players who are playing at the collegiate level, it is great to get to continue to follow their success. Throw in the entire NHL season package, the other sport I am known for with my Penguins fandom, and seriously, I really don’t need any other kind of entertainment package during the winter.

It is so much better than back in the old days. I can only imagine what it will be like 10 years from now - but I doubt it will be as historic. Life was much simpler for me as a youngster, without a crazy hectic lifestyle that allowed me enjoy listening in peace!

I predict that all of the big games (Superbowl, World Series, Stanley Cup) will all be on pay-per-view in a few years.