Being a sports fan is much easier than it used to be. In the 21st century, we’re afforded many different options when it comes to following our favorite teams and athletes. In addition to watching the games live at the stadium, we can also enjoy the action at a sports bar or from the comfort of our own homes through our TVs.
In the last couple of decades, the experience of watching sports on TV has come a long way. Flat-screen technologies have allowed manufacturers to create larger television sets, letting us feel like we’re closer to the action. Additionally, high definition and ultra-high definition (4K) displays have taken this a step further by making it possible to see more detail than ever before.
But while TV has given sports fans more choice, greater flexibility, and more access to games, mobile technology is perhaps the biggest game-changer of them all.
Today, almost everyone owns a smartphone. These pocket computers have managed to take over our lives in a fairly short period of time. While we may once have used our computers for surfing the web, a calculator for solving arithmetic problems we couldn’t solve in our heads, and a pen and paper for taking notes; we now use our smartphones for everything.
This effect can also be seen in the way we consume sport. While television allowed us to watch games from home, smartphones have given us the ability to follow along from wherever we are.
But even if you do use your smartphone to watch games on the go, you may not be getting the most out of your mobile sports experience.
Mobile Sportsbooks
Sports betting has really taken off in the US in the last three and a half years. Around half of the country now has access to online and mobile betting and even more states are expected to come online in the coming months and years. Within each state, competition among sportsbooks is also strong, resulting in very generous free bets being offered to new customers by most brands.
Having a sportsbook app on your phone gives you the opportunity to place bets from your sofa, including in-play wagers such as which team will be the next to score or whether the game will go into overtime. This is much easier than with a computer since it’s lighter, quicker to turn on, and easier to keep referring to while you watch the game on TV.
Sportsbook apps can be used for more than just placing bets though. Most offer live odds that are updated in real-time during games that help you to get an insight into the opinions of the bookies’ expert handicappers and what they think will happen next.
Streaming
In the past, you’d have to make sure you were at home if you wanted to watch a game on TV. Alternatively, you could record it on your VHS player or HDD recorder and spend the day trying to avoid spoilers, or you could try and catch glimpses of the games in store windows as you walked past.
Today, streaming services remove all this hassle by allowing you to watch live from wherever you are.
But they often go even further. The official streaming services run by leagues like the NFL and NBA also include additional exclusive content that you can watch at your leisure. This often contains expert analysis of recent games and previews of upcoming ones.
You don’t always need to pay either as YouTube is a great source of free content like this. For example, F1 fans can find videos that examine contemporary topics in great detail from creators like The Race, Chain Bear, Driver61, and even the official Formula 1 channel.
If you are a diehard fan that cannot get enough of whatever sport you love, then you’ll probably also enjoy watching lower-league and amateur competitions. In which case, streaming services like Twitch can be a good place to look. Through these apps, you can often find streams of games from local teams where you’ll find up and coming talent that will eventually make it into major leagues.
