Fans anywhere: Today’s fan stays connected to sports wherever they are
by Setrige Crawford and Michelle Simon
Where were you when the Red Sox ended the Curse of the Bambino to beat the Yankees in the 2004 World Series?
How did you see Michael Jordan hit a fade away on Craig Ehlo to win his sixth Championship?
Sports are all about great moments and how people experience them. As technology continues to change, so will the way fans continue to consume sports.
During Week 2 of the NFL Season, CBS and Twitter teamed up to live stream a Thursday Night Football matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets. About 2.1 million users viewed the stream at some point, according to the Yahoo Finance, while 15.4 million people watched the game on CBS or the NFL Network. The New York Post called it a “moderate success” as the NFL and Twitter will stream nine more games this season.
This innovation is part of a growing trend of sports fans consuming sports on smart devices and laptops. Millennials are increasingly using streaming service (legal and illegal) to catch their sports. Sometimes, fans are restricted because of blackouts.
Others are just too busy to sit in front of a television. However, some fans still see sports as a communal event, to be consumed with family and friends.
Whether it’s at the sports bar at the sporting event itself, some fans would rather put down their devices and interact with other fans.
