To be there, or not to be there? That is the question.
There aren’t too many things better in life than stretching out in front of the big screen TV with a beverage, while watching your favourite team in action. It’s a sports fans dream.
But as I asked off the top…would you rather stay at home and watch or would you rather hit the road and watch them play in person? I’m not sure it’s an easy a question to answer these days.
Many of us questioned why this year’s Labour Day Classic between the Eskimos and Stampeders at McMahon Stadium was not a sellout. It used to be a tough ticket every single year. Even the Flames struggled at times to fill their nosebleed section last season. So what is happening?
Winning certainly helps, but I’m just wondering if technology and comfort isn’t starting to diminish our interest in ‘being part’ of the live action.
Personally, if given the choice I always prefer to take in a game live every time. I can feel the crowd, I can feel the intensity on the field of play and I can sense the overall momentum far better by being at a game. But it’s getting tougher.
With the creation of my ‘Yelling Room’ in the basement, my viewing habits have started to change dramatically over the past five years. A 60 inch high-definition TV screen with complete 6.1 surround sound, a beverage cooler for frosty libations, a microwave and a cozy man chair make it awfully difficult to leave the house.
There is also the ability to sit there and watch it all while checking your Twitter and Facebook accounts and all the out of town scores on your laptop or iPad. No high ticket prices, no crazy concession prices, cold weather, traffic, parking headaches, monstrous parking fees and no push and shove of the maddening crowds at aging sports facilities. So is it any wonder that attendance appears to be slipping somewhat in some locations?
Plus with big screen HD TV and surround sound sales booming in Canada plus the ability to create your own ‘Yelling Room’… It’s not hard to see a trend developing.
To be there… or not to be there? It’s a tough question these days.