What sports do you prefer to watch in-person versus on TV?
Questions asked and answered for my daughters
The preferred way to watch sports will definitely vary by person, but there are definitely ones I prefer to watch on TV.
Generally, for a sport that I prefer to watch in person, it’s all about being there and experiencing the crowd, feeling the energy, and taking in the place. For TV, it boils down to knowing the details of a backstory or replay, seeing close camera shots and video, or following action across the game.
Watch In-Person
Baseball
The old saying is true… there’s nothing like being in a ballpark. Baseball is a sport that moves slow enough to pay attention to in-person yet exciting enough to enjoy the thrill of a play. Stadiums like The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati or Huntington Field in Columbus, Ohio make you feel like you’re sitting on the sidelines with the players.
Hockey
The high-energy and non-stop pep rally that are hockey games are what make them really fun. While things move fast and there’s not “blue streak” following the puck in-person like on TV, the sounds and power are really felt.
I loved going to Ohio University hockey games when I was in college. It was a club sport (versus varsity), and the play was very raw, with the crowd really getting into the opponents’ heads, chanting like crazy, and fighting for the heck of it.
Soccer
It feels like the game moves a lot faster when I’m watching soccer in-person versus on TV, and like hockey, the energy and crowd service makes the experience. The last professional soccer game I watched was a really long time ago… in 1994, I went to a World Cup game to watch Sweden take on Brazil in-person.
Other than the World Cup game, I’m not sure this counts, but I played soccer on the Columbus Crew field during half-time as a mascot for COSI… yep, a mascot soccer game. I was in the locker room with a dozen other organization mascots, and we played a giant game of inflatable soccer. It was awesome!
Basketball
On TV, basketball is the game that never ends. The clock constantly stops because players touch each other and exaggerate everything. But, in-person, all of that is much more tolerable and more interesting as the final buzzer gets closer.
Overall for in-person watching, these sports are boring to watch on TV for me. The environment plays such a significant role in all of them to make the sport really amazing to experience.
Watch on TV
Football
There is so much going on in a football game and at such fine detail that experiencing it in-person is like watching a bunch of people move up and down the field. Watching on TV, I can get the close camera shot of fumble, crossing a yard-line, or the slow-motion replay of what I just saw, in addition to a ton of statistics and history discussing the odds and plays that are being made. It’s really hard to get much of that in the stadium.
Now, all that said, going to a The Ohio State University football game in-person is electric. Being inside The Horseshoe stadium is an experience by itself… the crowd constantly roaring, a sea of scarlet power, and a stream of chants make the game a lot of fun.
Tennis
While I like and have played tennis, I prefer watching this sport on TV. The video angles of the court, close views of the players, and the much-needed replays of the ball near the lines make TV the more exciting method of experiencing the game. Also, TV crews nowadays have microphones placed so well around the court, the audio is like you’re sitting court-side watching them play.
Golf
Golf spans so many acres that I couldn’t imagine attending in-person to watch people tee off or chip mid-fairway over and over and over, without knowing what else was going at other holes. TV allows me to experience the entire game, leader boards, and amazing shots that I wouldn’t get to experience otherwise.
Entertainment Wrestling
When I was little, I went to a live wrestling match with the now WWE. It was really amazing, and of course, I absolutely loved it, but similar to tennis, it’s much more interesting to watch in TV with the camera angles, close-ups, and clear audio. Whether on TV or in-person, the watching experience is similar to hockey.
Racing of Anything
I think racing of any type of thing is more exciting to watch on TV, but there’s also the ambiance like baseball of being there in-person that makes the sport special. Maybe this one is a toss-up!
Overall, my preferences are shaped by having certain experiences and memories. Whenever you get the chance, go to an event in-person to watch it and see what it’s like versus watching on a screen.
Being there may make all the difference.
