Sports are a major part of my life. Much of my time consists of living and dying with my favourite teams and watching amazing players make spectacular plays.
The atmosphere in arenas is truly special, but I’ve noticed a trend that I believe takes away from being in the moment.
While watching games on television, I constantly notice the fans in the crowd on their phones either recording the game or just on their phones being oblivious to the game.
According to a 2023 survey by Deloitte, out of the approximate 3,000 people surveyed, nearly 43 per cent of Gen Z participants (aged 12 to 27) use their phones at live sporting events to post on social media.
In some of the biggest historical sporting events, you can see that there is an abundance of fans on their phones trying to record the moment, instead of living in the moment.
On Feb. 7, 2023, Lebron James broke the NBA all-time scoring record, passing Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record.
When James is about to shoot the ball which ultimately turned out to be the record-breaking basket, everyone except for a few people were on their phones recording the moment to post on social media.
On Sept. 19, 2024, Shohei Ohtani became the first-ever MLB player to achieve 50 homeruns and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
When Ohtani hit his record-breaking 50th homerun, there were a lot of fans on their phones recording it, instead of living in the moment and truly witnessing history.
If I were in a position where I were at one of the games mentioned above and the historical moment was about to happen, I would not pull out my phone and start recording. I feel like it would feel more real if I were in the moment experiencing greatness.
Michael Quinn, a third-year sociology student at Western University, said if he were in a position where history could happen, he would rather live in the moment rather than start recording.
“I wouldn’t pull my phone out and start recording,” Quinn said. “I’d much rather live in the moment and see the game through my own eyes.”
I don’t agree with fans that would pull out their phone and start recording. Social media has made it awarding for fans to post viral clips and get famous from it.
However, social media has been and continues to be beneficial for sports in ways that will bring fans closer to the game.
According to this study from the University of Florida, social media plays a substantial role in bringing fans closer to the game.
The ability to stream games 24/7 allows fans to constantly participate in all sorts of aspects that brings the fans closer to their favourite teams and players, according to this study.
Quinn said being able to watch a five-minute highlight pack of a game is convenient for him if he is unavailable to watch an entirety of a game.
“Technology has made it easy for me to catch up on any game that I miss,” he said. “If I’m doing homework or have other things to do, watching highlights on my phone is convenient for me.”
Social media has its perks when it comes to watching games and experiencing history in the making, but for me, nothing beats watching history unfold with just my eyes, no device needed.
