Watching Sports – Live or TV?

There’s been lots of discussions at Sports conferences I’ve attended over the past year about the issue of fans attending live sporting events vs. staying home to watch games due to advancements in technologies.

Some experts argue that more and more fans are preferring to stay home due to the excellent coverage provided by HD telecasts. That is a valid point … so many sports, from NFL to MLB to this weekend’s coverage of the Masters … looks amazing on HD. Also, the argument is made that more and more fans love watching sports on TV while also using their laptop, desktop or i-Pad. That also is a valid point … more and more people are multi-tasking. While watching sports, fans are also following their fantasy sports teams, interacting online with other friends, etc.

The sports fan who chooses to stay home also doesn’t have to deal with traffic, high parking costs, the obnoxiousness of drunk and rowdy fans. Also, it’s not fun to watch Sports if your team is a so-so team playing in a half-empty arena.

But, on the other hand, there’s absolutely nothing as electrifying as being there to witness a live sporting event that can create a lifetime of memories. Personally speaking, a couple of sports events stand out … being there to watch George Mason Univ upset UConn in ’06 to make it to the Final Four; watching Cal Ripken Jr break the all-time consecutive games mark at Oriole Park in ’95; watching Sergei Federov score the game-winning and series-winning goal for the Caps over the NY Rangers in ’09. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there at Nats Park last June for Stephen Strasburg’s electrifying debut since I was on a flight to Tokyo. But, my friends that were there claim it was an all-time highlight.

I’m blogging about this topic as the NHL Play-offs are about to start this evening. Watching NHL action live is one of the greatest things to do in Sports … the game is so fast-paced and action-packed. But, watching NHL playoff hockey takes it one more notch. The fans definitely are louder. It’s a fantastic atmosphere. I won’t be there tonight for Game 1 of the Caps v Rangers series since I’m guest lecturing at AU tonight, but I’m so very much looking forward being there for Game 2 on Friday night at the Verizon Center.

If you have the chance to get a ticket to go to a NHL play-off game this Spring, go for it! It beats being at home. Let’s go, Caps!

Jimmy Lynn

Jimmy Lynn, a veteran of more than 25 years in the Sports and Entertainment sectors, is one of the pioneers of the Digital Sports space and is regarded as one of the leading relationship brokers and connectors in the sports industry. He is a co-founder and Vice-President of Kiswe Mobile, a interactive mobile video start-up focused on bringing a rich viewing experience for live media content such as sports and entertainment events to mobile devices. Previously, Lynn was the managing partner of JLynn Associates, a global strategic advisory firm focused on sports-related digital media, marketing, and retail for a diverse set of clients including teams, athletes, leagues and associations, media outlets and other businesses. Prior to founding JLynn Associates in 2009, Lynn served as Vice-President, Strategic Development and Partnerships at AOL, where he and his team were responsible for the strategic development and account management of AOL Sports’ strategic partnerships and organizations including the NFL, NBA, NASCAR, MLB, WNBA, NHL, PGA Tour, ABC Sports, CBS Sports, HBO Sports, Sports Illustrated, Turner Sports, NFL Players Association, WWF, The Sporting News, STATS, SportsTicker, etc. During his 14-year career at AOL, he was instrumental in developing AOL Sports into one of the leading global sports destination internet sites. Lynn also served as a Vice-President, Diversity Partnerships and Strategic Relationships for AOL's Office of Diversity and Inclusion. In this role, he managed AOL's employee affinity networks and partnerships with community service organizations. Lynn also was a member of the Time Warner Sports Forum, which included executives from Sports Illustrated, HBO Sports, Turner Sports, AOL Sports, Time Warner Cable, Time 4 Media and Warner Brothers Licensing. The group focused on cross-company sports initiatives for Time Warner. Previously, Lynn was the Advertising Manager for Home Team Sports, the CBS-owned regional sports network serving the Mid-Atlantic Region (TV partner of the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals) and the Promotion Manager for WLTT-FM, the CBS-owned and operated station in Washington, D.C. Lynn has been actively involved in philanthropy and community service over the past 15 years. Lynn was one of the 2006 recipients of Time Warner’s most prestigious public-service prize, the “Andrew Heiskell Community Service” award. This award is given to employees who exhibit outstanding leadership and accomplishment in voluntary public service, human rights and/or equal opportunity efforts. Lynn also was recognized in 2008 by Greater DC Cares as one of Washington DC's top 10 rising leaders in philanthropy; as one of City Year's "Idealists of the Year"; and by Year Up as an "Urban Empowerment" award winner. In 2010, he received an award from Washington, DC Mayor Fenty for outstanding community service. Lynn is a board member of the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy Lynn is a full-time faculty member of Georgetown University's Sports Industry Management graduate program, where he also serves as the "Special Advisor." Lynn received the "Dean's Outstanding Service" award in 2010 and the “Faculty Service” award in 2014. He is also a member of the Adjunct Faculty in Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. He has a B.A. in Public Communication and an M.B.A. in Marketing from American University.

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April 13, 2011

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