As I get older and crankier, I’m finding that I prefer to watch the games on television. No hassles with traffic, no drunk morons to endure, no standing in line for anything, no over-priced concessions. On the plus side, there’s instant replay, channel flipping, ready access to a computer, less time/money committed.
At the same time, it’s a considerably more sterile experience. No roar of the crowd, no tailgating, no chance for an autograph or foul ball, no “I was there” stories, no partying with fellow fans, no sense of history as one enters the hallowed ground of your favorite stadium. For college football, there’s so much pagentry and atmosphere, and the unique feel of the various home fields–Death Valley is not the same as Legion Field, which is markedly different from Scott Field, which is easily distinquiched from Welcome Stadium, none of which resemble Bryant Stadium. Old Tulane Stadium, where the bleachers would sway and shudder from the rythmic foot stomping. War Memorial Stadium, which back in the day would host SEC double headers…Ole Miss/LSU, and State/Bama ferinstance.
So what say the dopers: better to watch the games live at the stadium, or at home on TV?
I definitely enjoy being in the stadium. It’s not something I can afford to do often, but the spirit of a crowd is fun to be part of.
In fact, I’d say the only time I didn’t have a good time at a live sporting event was the L.A.Clippers game I attended last January. The place was practically a tomb; the closest thing the Clippers had to fans were a bunch of hecklers who sat in the top row.
Both have their attractions, but since the only sport I care the least little thing about is baseball, I have to come down on the side of stadium. Especially since minor-league play is rarely televised. If I want to see the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes play, I have to go to The Epicenter to watch them. The food, the mascots, the atmosphere… Plus, the umpires never react when I yell at them on TV. From where we sit for Quakes games, the plate umpire can hear every word I say quite clearly. (This is not a plus in my wife’s book. She says I’m the reason beer sales are cut off after the 7th inning.)
I prefer the stadium, but watching a game in a good sports bar, {Hard to find in my area} or at home with a large group of friends is great.
Watching a game by myself is not as good, in fact I usually put the game on my office TV and surf the Dope these days.
To me, there is still nothing that tops the stadium experience.
silenus: I go to Lakewood Blue Claw games and sit behind the visitors dugout and harass the Blue Claws 3rd base coach. No Beer is required. At Yankee Stadium, I have been to seven games in the Right Field Bleachers this year and they will not serve us beer at all. Ask anyone, the bleacher creatures are still the most obnoxious and vocal at the game. It is fun.
So let your wife know, the beer has nothing to do with it.
Since I’m a hockey fan, I go to the rink instead of the stadium - but I much prefer live to TV. I don’t watch very much TV anyway, and there’s no comparison to being there! Of course, since I sit ice level I’m spoiled.
Purely TV for me. I don’t miss many Titans games, but have never seen them live.
Last time I was in the stadium for a game was in 1986 to see Auburn stomp Vanderbilt in Nashville.
It used to be a major event to go to Birmingham for the Iron Bowl even after I had moved to Tennessee, but even that got to be a hassle. A few trips to Knoxville to see UT play Auburn (my brother and oldest son are UT grads, my dad was Auburn) and other trips to various places, (Memphis, Lexington, Atlanta), all for Auburn games, and of course almost every Auburn home game when I was in high school and still in Alabama, all of those were great fun in another time.
Parking, ticket costs, crowd rowdies, uncomfortable seats. I stay home these days.
I would side with live at the stadium/park/whatever, especially if it is at a place with history, like Wrigley Field. You don’t even have to worry about parking there, because there isn’t any.
Still, the close-ups and replays are hard to do without.
Depends on the lots of things - which sport, which stadium, which TV. Coincidentally I am just about to head out to watch the Aussies cop a hiding from the All Blacks. My friends and I have made a tradition the last couple of years of watching all the big games on giant screens at the casino, a pub or a bar. Best of both worlds really. We watched the last State of Origin at Fox Studios, where they even have a large screen TV behind the bar so while you order a beer you miss nothing.
Hockey games are fun live provided you’re not in some cavernous southern arena with 7,000 fans to 19,000 seats.
However, the live/TV discrepancy is unquestionably the greatest in basketball. A live basketball game is much, much more energetic than any other pro sport I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve seen a lot of pro sports.
Conversely, football is best watched on TV; a live pro football game is never better than watching it in a bar, and can be a lot worse.
It depends on the sport. Baseball, basketball, and hockey are much better in person. Football (American), on the other hand, I would rather watch from my living room. The problem with football is that if you are close to the field, you wind up not being able to see half of the action because it’s on the other end of the stadium. If you are far enough away to be able to see the whole field, you’re too far away to see anything.
High School football, by the way, is an entirely different thing.
I’ve never seen a professional Soccer or Cricket match, so I can’t offer any opinions there.
For me, there’s no feeling like watching the War Eagle soar around Jordan-Hare stadium before the Auburn Tigers take the field on a fall afternoon.
I also get a kick out of the insults when going to the other team’s stadium. Knoxville, Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Athens, Gainesville and Baton Rouge are all fun places to visit if you can take it as well as dish it out.
Some interesting responses so far. I’m surprised that baskeball was mentioned as the biggest live vs TV difference. I would have put that last, on the grounds that the standard TV shot generally shows the whole offense and defense at once. The only thing you get live that you don’t get on TV for basketball is the atmosphere.
Hockey really doesn’t add that much for live viewing either. The TV shots show most of the action, and if you have a couple guys going over each other away from the play that will be picked up and shown to you later. Also, the lack of up close and slow views of the goals are a definite minus for being there. If someone scores on the other side of the rink from you, you really can’t tell exactly what happened until you get home and see the replays.
Baseball and football are better viewed in person. In football, you can watch the matchups you want to watch, not necessarily follow the ball. Plus you’ve got the band and cheerleaders. Baseball is better because you can watch how the defense sets up and how the fielders shift around during the play. You do lose a lot of the pitcher-batter matchup if your seat isn’t the best, but otherwise you see it better.
I also find as I get older that seeing a game live is less important. I can hit the can during commercials, eat what I want for 1/10 the price, and if the game turns out to be a dog I can flip the channel.
Those are some very valid points. I know I would have been pissed if I’d paid good money for tickets to last night’s Dodgers/Giants game, that’s for sure. The game was essentially over after the top half of the 2nd inning.
I agree. I say football is really best on TV, though I won’t turn down free tickets. You get all the replays, the commentary, the ability to switch between games, and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper. Baseball is best in person, next best on the radio. I enjoy going to a game with a little radio and watching the game while listening to the play-by-play in one ear. Baseball is awful on TV. Actually, though, I might be able to (now that I’ve got satellite TV as well as satellite radio) be able to watch a ball game on TV with play-by-play and commentary from XM with no apparent latency in the XM feed.
Anyway, I’d much rather see hockey live, though I’m not a big hockey fan. Auto racing is probably better on TV if you want to see all the track instead of just what you can see sitting in one spot. I’ve never been a spectator at a golf tournament, but I’d have to imagine that it’s better on TV.
I have gone to the Indy 500.
You can see it much better on TV, but with that said, you cannot expereince the Indy 500 at home. To properly experience the 500 you have to be there and party with all the other fans.
