Man caves are great, but there’s nothing like going to the game
Pricey tickets, parking fees and proximity to pungent patrons all worth trouble of the live experience
RAJU MUDHAR Admit it, you want to be there Saturday night.
It’s become trendy for big name columnists to talk about how much better it is to watch a sports game at home, in front of your giant HD television, with your buddies and bevvies of choice, and being in complete control of your environment.
In the past few years, it’s an argument made by the likes of Bill Simmons, Dar- ren Rovell and even our own Cathal Kelly. But I just don’t buy it. Look at the people making that argument: they have gorged on so many sporting events in their life that absolutely a little bit of jadedness has seeped in. I would love to have that problem. Besides all those guys got into this business to get paid to go to games.
Part of every columnist’s job is to be contrarian, and it is easy to poke holes into the live experience.
Don’t get me wrong, I do love watching sports at home, but even the greatest picture offered by the newest, most expensive 4K or OLED TVs isn’t as good as being there.
There are absolutely a number of issues with getting tickets, fighting traffic to make it to a crowded stadium, sitting in cramped seats, buying expensive food and beer and the always unknown of sitting next to the great unwashed — which could literally be someone who hasn’t washed.
But there are indelible memories to be had, and for most of us, due to rising ticket prices and the business of life, it has become a much more rarefied experience.
In talking this out with many of my sports loving friends, who seem to fall on both sides of the argument, one of the keys is just the vast amount of information that is available at home.
And let’s not forget the significant investments many have made in home theatres systems and man caves.
Beyond just being plugged into Twitter watching comments fly by, the televised experience of any game features so much more information than going. Experienced commentators can absolutely add something, Also, love him or hate him, who doesn’t want to see what Don Cherry has to say?
But the biggest selling point is the benefit of the copious amount of instant replay. One friend who was live and in person at last week’s Leaf brawl said that in the stadium, few realized David Clarkson left the bench and most were left wondering what was going on.
On TV, what had happened was immediately shown.
There are replays in the stadium, but they are limited by stoppages in play, as well as other marketing initiatives run by teams on the Jumbotrons.
The in-game operations just don’t hold a candle to the level of those being created by the crackerjack editors in the TV booth.
Rovell has talked about the growing phenomena of many who go to the game, only to return home and watch the same game on their PVR to see what they missed.
A co-worker who is a huge Minnesota Vikings fan talked about how he saw Adrian Peterson do a 70-yard run, but due to the at-game distractions, he thought it was pedestrian, only to realize how amazing it was watching the highlights afterward.
There are also some problems with watching any sport on TV, and in particular watching hockey at home in a way minimizes how hard it is by making it look easy. The camera’s field of view doesn’t let you see all the players on the ice, and it does a disservice to just how fast the players are zipping up the ice. Or how big they are and how powerful their shots are.
If you are actually there, you can also see if anyone is really dogging it away from the action.
The truth is that for the majority of people in the city, it’s not even an option to go see the Leafs in person, as 95 per cent of the Air Canada Centre is taken up by season ticket holders. Taking a look at Stubhub.com on Friday, the cheapest seats available for the Battle for Ontario are in section 312, Balcony Standing room only for $99.81. And that’s in a no-drinking zone! At the top end, it is $662.50 in section 121, 3rd row which is right at one of the nets.
With new management at the head of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, it is clear that there is change afoot for the “in-game experience.” Just like during last year’s playoff run, MLSE is hosting a tailgate in Maple Leaf Square for the home opener, which is a smart way to extend the fan experience outside of the building and extend the communal feeling that is the best part of being there: The “we are all in it together” feeling of fandom.
As well, new MLSE president CEO Tim Leiweke told a season ticket holders meeting that the company is looking at cheaper beer. That sounds crazy, and I’ll believe it when I am there and drinking it. We all wish we were there, simple as that. So this last part, I’ll address to those who are lucky enough to actually be there, particularly the blessed folks in the platinum seats. How many times has a game started and those seats are empty, because people are still enjoying themselves in the swanky lounges under the seats?
Players have lamented that the ACC is one of the quietest stadiums, and the atmosphere doesn’t compare to some of the other churches of hockey. You are the lucky ones. Obviously this town lives and dies with the Leafs and sports fandom is about irrational love. Maybe it’s time you guys acted like it.
That’s something I’d really like to see when I’m stuck watching from the “comfort” of my couch.