Experiencing a sports game beyond the screen

Timmothy Chen

A referee communicates with the players from the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Attending a sports game and watching it on a screen are two versions of the same story that feel completely different. On TV, you get commentary, replays and stats that flash the screen. In real life, you lose that clarity. Instead, you hear the buzz of the crowd and the constant trash talking and communication between players and coaches.

The first big difference is the atmosphere. When watching games on TV, you can only hear some of the sounds on the court or field and the general cheers of the crowd. However, being at the game is a drastically different story. I attended the Los Angeles Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena where they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 108-122 on Monday, Oct. 28 I can hear fans heckling players and the crowd gasping after each shot. Sitting a few rows away from the court, I could hear the crowd say “three” after every three point shot and fans sitting around me heckling Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. After watching the Lakers opener against the Golden State Warriors live from my computer on Oct. 21, I was only able to watch the box score and what purely happened on the court. From this, I lost the immersive experience and audible reactions of the crowd that is only palpable when in the arena.

In addition, seeing these athletes in person makes you appreciate the level of athleticism they have. Through TV, the moves that professional players do seem simple and easy to replicate. When watching Warriors point guard Stephen Curry shoot logo three point shots, it just seems like the mere flick of the wrist. However, at the Lakers vs. Blazers game, I was especially amazed at just how fast the athletes sprint down the court and how high players can actually jump to dunk the basketball. Seeing in person Blazers forward Shaedon Sharpe rise and wind up the ball and Lakers guard Austin Reaves incredible ball handling skills made me further realize just how skilled these athletes really are.

Attending a game also allows you to pick up on information that isn’t heard through the TV, where coaches shout at players to run certain sets and plays. Beyond this, I also found the experience at the game much more humorous than watching it live, as every minute, you can hear multiple fans screaming and making goat noises at Lakers forward LeBron James in hopes of getting his attention. The downside of this is that it can be distracting to the actual game and having a commentator do a live play-by-play of each possession is helpful in immediately knowing the details of each trip down the court. 

Ultimately, there are multiple differences between a live experience at a sporting venue and watching at home. If you love the precision of analysis, the screen serves you well. If you want the full human side of sports—the noise and mood of the crowd—buy a ticket and go watch the game in person. The same final score will mean more when you feel it from your seat.