As a website with such a heavy focus on sports, the question about whether online sports engagement is a positive thing, is a question we often have to ask ourselves. Obviously, our business leans on online connectivity, but that doesn’t mean we can’t approach the question with some degree of objectivity.
Online sports engagement is very much a two-sided coin, and this raises issues as to what it could mean to many facets of the sports industry in the future. That said, we want to approach some of the common questions we face, to make an argument for a non-traditional approach which can be unfairly (and sometimes justly) maligned.
Sharing the Experience
For our money, the biggest arguments for online sports engagement comes from the degree of connectivity which it affords us, both in terms of professional and amateur games. For all scales of sports, the internet gives us the ability to consistently find an avenue to spectate and commentate, especially amongst younger audiences as shown at statista.com/statistics/. From watching the pros live, to checking out fan videos of smaller league games later, the new benefits here can be profound and unprecedented.
The negatives we have found in this regard can be boiled down to two primary components, inconvenience in major games, and the loud opinions of a few spectators. Being inconvenienced in finding an avenue or platform to watch a major game online, is mirrored by the offline experience, which is unfortunate but undeniably true. The same can said about the negative opinions of a few loud spectators, which can again be just as much a problem in real life as it can be online. At least online it can be much easier to mute these people.
“Up n Over.” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Steve Dawson.
A Boon of Convenience
Whether you’re older, disabled, too far away from a game, locked in by weather, or just want to remain comfortable, there is no question that convenience is an area where online interactivity shines. While it can be true that nothing matches the feeling of being part of a crowd of local supporters when at a live game, we’d be ignorant if we didn’t understand that such attendance can be difficult or impossible for many.
The same benefits of convenience can extend to the infrastructure around the games, such as with sports bookies. Again, going to a bookie in person can be a great experience by itself, but there can also be no denying that something like the offers on 777casino.co.uk/sportsbook/ offers a far greater array of choice; with odds across a huge variety of sports, games, tournaments, and participants, with sites like this also being available from anywhere with an internet connection.
“Dolan Series Southport Week 1” (CC BY 2.0) by Dave Haygarth
Big Enough for Everyone
Arguably, traditionalism is a big part of sports culture though, by itself, this isn’t necessarily negative. Sport is about competition, after all, and this component aids in creating a healthy spirit of rivalry. The only negative aspects of this, in our opinion, comes from when older attitudes are so entrenched that they put a hamper on sport’s greater inclusion and popularity, as detailed in quite a specific example in this article on telegraph.co.uk/football/.
As much as we might personally prefer going to a game, having more players engage from a distance can do nothing but help our favourite sports become more popular. In many cases, this can even help both major and niche games become far more popular than they would otherwise.
It might get lost in the good-natured ribbing we give each other from time-to-time, but we’d like to think that the sports world is big enough for everyone. Even, it should be said, if you support Bradford.
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