It’s 6 p.m. on a Monday night, and the (insert your favorite NFL team) are playing on Monday Night Football on ESPN. However, that one morning where you woke up at the crack of dawn to register for classes, you registered for the Monday night two-hour lab class.
Problem: You need to watch a sporting event during class hours.
Solution: Social media.
Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to follow your favorite teams when you’re in a tough position. Now, I don’t sponsor these techniques, but they do come in handy when there is not a television around or you’re in a desperate situation.
Live Streams: This technique is the preferred option for the ultimate sports fan. A live stream of the game with audio can be handy if you want all the action in front of you, where the mute button might be more handy if you are in class or a quiet place.
Gamecast/Updated stats:This technique is for the fan who is crazy about stats. A simulated screen of the game is usually how one watches this. An updated play-by-play stream gives the user individual as well as team statistics.
Gamecast allows users to see the plays unfold. Photo by Evan Triantafilidis.Twitter: This social medium is a great way to stay updated on ASU athletics. ASU stays on point with their tweets. Twitter allows users to follow certain ASU coaches, players and journalists who provide breaking news about the team. (@TheSunDevils is ASU’s official athletic twitter account.)
Other notable people to follow are:
@SparkyArizonaSt (Sparky The Sun Devil)
@StatePressSport (State Press Sports)
Whether you are in class or on the go, social media allows fans to experience a connection they have never experienced before. Smart phones now allow fans to get up to the second updates on scores, injuries and other breaking news.
Michael Reister, a junior economics major, says he relies on the Gamecast option to get his sports info.
“Gamecast is usually the way I like to get my stats,” Reister says. “It’s especially good for fantasy football to keep track of your players.”
Reister, a twitter user, gets updates on his smart phone for breaking news.
Twitter helps provide game updates for its users. Photo by Evan Triantafilidis.“When it’s breaking news about my team, the Chicago Bears or ASU, I prefer a tweet to read,” Reister says. “However, if it’s something that I find more intriguing, I tend to find a larger source than the 140-character limit.”
A simple hash tag search for ‘ASU’ on Twitter allows users to find new people to follow.
You can reach me at etrianta@asu.edu
