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SALT LAKE CITY -- My two brothers and I attended our first NFL game this past November, to see the New York Jets take on the Denver Broncos in Colorado. We were there when the Broncos, trailing the Jets by 3 with less than a minute to go in the game, lined up from the Jets' 20-yard line. Denver's quarterback, Tim Tebow, took the snap and scrambled to his left, then began running toward the end zone. He made some defenders miss, and crossed the goal line for the game winning touchdown. Tebow fell to his knees, clenched his fists and was smothered by his celebrating teammates.
At the very same moment, 70,000 Broncos fans exploded in elation, relieved that the offense, which had struggled to move the football all night, came through when it counted. Chants of "TEBOW! TEBOW!" echoed through the night air. When the Jets failed to score with the few remaining seconds left in the game, Broncos fans made their way happily, even deliriously, to the exits.
What a night! That is exactly the way a game like that should be experienced —firsthand, in the company of thousands of other sports fans, all with one thing in common: the love of the game.
Unfortunately, for most of us, sporting events are rarely experienced this way. For people like me, actually attending a game live involves saving enought money to purchase the tickets and pay for parking and concessions, arranging for a babysitter, and clearing out five or six hours of my day — if not more — to make it all happen. It is so much easier (and more affordable) to watch the game from home.
Watching a game on TV, though, does not bring anywhere near the same experience as attending in person. There are some aspects of the live game that just cannot be duplicated at home, primarily the feeling of electricity that being a part of a crowd of thousands of fans brings. But thanks to a 21st century technological innovation, there is one element of experiencing a sporting event live that can be brought into the home.
The element? That feeling of being a part of a community of fans.
The technology that makes it possible? Twitter.
I do not personally know Mike, Lee or Jake. I have never met any of these guys in person. But when the Jazz play a big game, these three people, in addition to many others, become a part of a large community of fans who are all dialed in, watching the same game from different locations, but interacting with each other in cyberspace. Whether we are complaining to each other about awful officiating, trying to come up with nicknames for Paul Millsap, celebrating a fantastic comeback victory or writing sarcastic comments about commercials that play during the game, we have a great time watching the game together.
This is great for me, because I watch most Jazz games alone in my living room. Like a lot of modern couples, my wife and I both work. I manage a bookstore during the day, and she is a nurse who works at night.
A typical Jazz game night in our home goes something like this: I get home in time to see my wife for a few minutes before she leaves for work, then I make the kids dinner. Playtime, bathtime and bedtime follow, and sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., the kids are all in bed. I grab my laptop, turn on the TV and start watching the game.
Twitter allows me to catch up on what has happened in the first quarter or two, beyond just the current score. I'm able to get a grasp of how different players are playing, how the officiating is trending and any funny things the announcers have said.
Watching sports is a community experience. When something great happens, we need others to celebrate with, and when there's a heartbreaking loss, we need to commiserate. Twitter gives me, the homebound dad, a chance to experience this community feeling even when my only immediate company are four sleeping little boys.
