Why It's Worth It to Go to the Big Game... and Why It's Not

Let me just start off by saying, I love football! There is no wrong way to watch it. In fact, you don't even have to watch it. Radio announcers are better than the TV announcers every time. I am shocked and appalled by the number of football fans that have never been to a live game. They have absolutely no idea what they're missing.

There seems to be two types of fans: those who go to the big game, and those who are content to watch it on TV. Among the TV watchers, there are those who watch at home, and those who go to a sports bar. It is time we sort this once and for all time, how best one should watch a football game:

Hearing Is Believing

An awful lot of money is spent every year on upgrading audio equipment. Companies like Bose have been trying to convince us that to really experience the game, we have to hear the true sounds of the game. I have to agree with this assessment. What you hear on TV is nothing like what you hear in the stadium.

The roar of the crowd is deafening, frightening, and overwhelming. There is no experience quite like it. The sheer exhilaration is like a spiritual experience. The sounds on the field are much more visceral and real. Even the best sound system does not come close to actually putting you into the game. For the best audio experience on the planet, you simply have to be there. Hearing it on TV doesn't even get you close to the real thing.

Seeing Is Believing

Those sound system upgrades usually come around the same time as a TV upgrade. TV fans are convinced that the bigger the TV, the better the experience. They actually argue that a big, beautiful beast of a TV is a better viewing experience than being there. Again, I can't argue with this assessment.

You can't afford seats in the stadium that have a completely unobstructed view. No matter where you are in the stadium, the players are quite small, and the field is quite large. The ball is about the size of a molecule. Those big numbers on the back of the jerseys aren't so big in person. If you want to see a closeup of the action, you are going to have to look up at the jumbo-tron. It is telling that in the center of the stadium floating above the field is a giant TV.

Your big-screen TV at home is so much nicer than anything at the bar. You always have a front-row seat. The ball and relevant players are always in view. If actually seeing the game is the most important thing to you, stay home and buy the biggest TV you can afford.

Watch Your Favorite Team

With the votes split, the tie-breaker goes to the experience that allows you to watch the games you actually want to see. It's great if you root for the home team. But this is a mobile society. Many people moved to their current city due to work or family. Their body might be in Seattle. But their heart's in San Francisco.

Sunday Ticket is a service that allows you to watch any game you want to see every week. Right now, it is exclusively on Direct TV. Even if it goes to other services at some point, it will never go to your local football stadium. This is also why some people go to sports bars. It is not for the sound or the picture. It is because they are showing every game simultaneously. Park yourself in front of the one you want to see, and enjoy.

Two to three: does that mean it is better to watch football on TV than live in the stadium? That just depends on your priorities. As I said up front, there is no wrong way to watch a football game.