However, I cannot help thinking about the big news from this past Saturday, namely, the release of the Apple iPad. Make whatever joke you please about the latest Apple gadget (and its' name), but I'm hard pressed not to consider mass media theorist Marshall McLuhan's famous adage: the medium is the message. And, in concert with the recent influx of sports in 3-D, it's hard not to notice all the new and different ways that media are changing the way we watch sports.
People wait in line Saturday morning at the NYC Apple Store on 5th Avenue.
Where is Triumph the Insult Comic Dog when you need him?
Keeping that idea in mind, I look forward to seeing how the coverage of sports evolves to fit the iPad (to be fair, several other companies are initiating tablet PCs as well). While most leagues have already unveiled websites that are "optimized" for the iPad, some are developing more advanced applications for watching and keeping track of games.
It appears that Major League Baseball is the first to launch a video-capable application that is available for subscribers to MLB.tv. Here's a look at a couple screenshots for a game between the Mets and Nationals.
These screenshots assume that you would actually
want to watch the Mets and the Nationals.
Other leagues seem more focused on providing applications or web sites that enable a more in-depth experience for watching games by utilizing the iPad as a "second screen." As a result, you'll notice that the MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLS (Major League Soccer - a stretch, I know) web sites are now organized to fit the screen dimensions of iPads.
Many of those league web sites have recently been re-designed, specifically for the launch of technologies such as the iPad. Taking it one step further, however, the NBA has created the following application to lure in fans to that "second screen" experience:
I have a hard time seeing why the video asserts "you can see who's on the court and on the bench," when, presumptively, if you're watching the game you will know that information. But, then again, maybe you won't? I don't know.
In all, if we have learned anything about Apple and innovation, then tablet computing is apparently here to stay. And so, the ways in which it will change how we watch sports will likely evolve over time as further iterations of tablets are produced. But, for now, it appears that when it comes to watching sports, the various leagues are looking to provide you with as much information - and as many distractions - as possible.
To see who's on the court. Really?
A couple questions that I'm not sure how to answer: first, is that good for sports? And second, irrespective of the first question, does technology like iPhones and iPad lend themselves to the statistical overload that has engulfed sports fandom since the dawn of fantasy sports leagues?
And while it's hard not to believe that all of this is great for sports somehow, I am more intrigued by technologies that demonstrate how our media continues to define the message.
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