It’s no secret that technology has had a transformative effect on just about every area of life. How we work, communicate, and entertain ourselves are all much different today than in the pre-internet era. Unrecognizable, even. These shifts haven’t all been for the better, but if you did a thorough pro/con analysis, on balance, you’d say that technology has had a positive effect.
And that’s certainly the case for sports fans. Of course, sports fandom has always been popular and enjoyable, but technology has taken it to a whole new level. It has been welcomed by fans. In this blog, we’ll take a look at just some of the many ways sports fans use technology to deepen their enjoyment of their passion.
Keeping Up To Date
In the olden days, fans could only keep up with the action by reading the newspaper or tuning into a weekly highlights show. And even that was only possible if they lived in the same country as the action. For international fans, it was nothing but slim pickings. Fast forward to today and that’s all changed. Fans can get access to news, highlights, and just about everything else with just a few clicks of a button. They’re no longer feeding off scraps; they’re gorging on high-quality content, day in, day out.
Staying Social
Fans like the action on the field. But what they love most of all is interacting with other fans. The social element of sports has always been important, but it was fairly limited in the days gone by. If you lived in a place without a huge sports following, your capacity for having in-depth conversations would be limited or non-existent. The web offers a never ending buzz of sports chatter, allowing fans a chance to get their opinions heard — and to debate other peoples’ opinions, too.
Additional Activities
The web has also allowed for secondary activities connected to sports to blossom, too. Football fans can take part in an online fantasy football league, use a betting offer from Oddschecker to back a team for victory, or test their knowledge against a wide range of online quizzes and competitions. Fans can also access a whole host of quality podcasts that allow them to interact with their chosen sport in a humorous or informative way.
This has helped to create a lively, engaging environment where fans can enjoy their chosen sport in ways beyond just catching the game on television. And in the case of data and tactical podcasts, it also allows them to understand teams and games in a way that just wouldn’t have been possible twenty years ago.
Active Participation
Technology is typically thought of as a way for fans to consume content. But data shows that many are using it to participate in the sport themselves. Fans can use websites or apps to find pick-up games or improve their skills through coaching.
eSports Engagement
If you’re looking for the clearest example of the union between sports and technology, look no further than the rise of eSports. It was only a few years ago when the idea of a digital sporting competition would have been unthinkable. Today, the world’s biggest brands are putting together their own teams or sponsoring competitions.
They’re doing so because the rise of eSports as entertainment was unavoidable. It’s one that has been very much directed by consumer interest. Indeed, so large is the audience for eSports that experts predict that the audience size may soon eclipse those of traditional sports such as the NBA and MLB.
Conclusion
It took some time for the sports world to embrace technology, but now that it has there’s no turning back. In the coming years, we’ll likely see VR and augmented reality enhance the fan experience even further. All in all, it helps to create a dynamic, more highly engaged climate — and in the end, that can only be good for sports.
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