This is the second installment of how sports and technology have intersected and impacted our lives as fans.
A little more than a year ago the Gopher football team was 3-1 and ready to host the Badgers in the battle for the Axe. I was getting pretty excited about our chances to win the first Big Ten game in TCF Bank Stadium. And then unfortunately I had a grandparent pass away in Oklahoma. Which meant I was on the road for a Friday funeral several states away. I was going to not only going to miss my seat in the press box but I wasn't going to be on the road during the game coming home.
BUT we rented a van for the trip...a van that came equipped with XM radio...an XM radio that was carrying the Gopher/Badgers game. So I was driving through the middle of Arkansas, within the borders of the SEC and on the fringe of the Big 12, and I was listening to the longest running rivalry in all of college football. What is the point of this neat little story? That day I loved technology. I had never really seen the benefit of XM radio, but now I see its value.
It is not just radio that has enhanced our viewing capabilities regardless of where we live. Things like Slingbox, DirecTV and the Sunday Ticket (for NFL fans), ESPN3, DVRs, HD TVs and I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other technological advances make watching your favorite team much, much easier than it was before.
We can be anywhere in the world and stand a pretty good chance of being able to watch all 12 games the Gophers play. Pretty amazing isn't it?