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nobody cares:sports edition

Bernnie Federko

Bernnie Federko

TRIBE Member
Ian Karmel wrote a great piece on The Ringer earlier this week about Damian Lillard's buzzer-beater against the Thunder. His point about "being for the moments" resonated with me and certainly applies here:

"I'm not sure of the right way to enjoy sports anymore. ... Stats are more important than aesthetics are more important than story lines are more important than stats, and it seems like the only thing people really believe in is what they're mad about other people doing."
"We're up to our necks in information and interaction, but we wield both clumsily. I'm tired of being right; I just want to be happy, and that's why I'm for the moments."
 
Bernnie Federko

Bernnie Federko

TRIBE Member
"Ultimate Tag" coming soon to Fox

Giphy
J.J. Watt revealed on Twitter yesterday that he and his two brothers, Derek and T.J., are involved in a new television show called "Ultimate Tag."

Details: The show is set to be debut on Fox in early 2020 and aims to take "a childhood game to extreme levels, with insane obstacles and incredible athletes."

  • The three brothers will co-host the show, which looks like it will have a similar feel to "American Gladiators" and "American Ninja Warrior."
The backdrop: Tag has seen its fair share of viral moments recently, thanks to World Chase Tag (WCT), the only global league for professional competitive tag.

  • The organization hosts tournaments all around the globe and frequently shares highlights on Instagram like the one you see above. Definitely worth a follow.
  • How it works: WCT uses a format called "Team Chase Off," in which teams of four compete in 16 chases per match. In each chase, the chaser has 20 seconds to tag the evader. Evaders gain a point if they last the full 20 seconds, and the team with the most points wins the match.
 
Bernnie Federko

Bernnie Federko

TRIBE Member
Attendance woes were inevitable
Illustration of a giant television camera over a sports stadium
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios


The backdrop:

A month ago, I wrote about how technology has changed the way we watch sports.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how the NBA's nomadic era could change the way we follow sports.
Driving the news: The consumption habits of the modern sports fan is once again a hot topic following Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald's mini-rant about college football's declining attendance:

"I think phones, I think technology has been the decline in attendance … It's changed the way a lot of young people and younger fans intake."
"The fans that grew up tailgating and going to the stadiums four hours before games are getting a little older. I think the next generations of fans are more reliant on technology. They'd rather have 12 TVs set up in their TV-watching cave than go to a game and experience the pageantry and the tailgating."
— Pat Fitzgerald
My take: Is anyone surprised that this is where we ended up? Because this was always where we were headed.

For decades, schools and conferences have been making decisions that benefit the TV viewer because that's where the eyeballs are.
Conference realignment has radically rewired the landscape, and it's been done mostly in the name of money — much of it coming via broadcast rights.
Media coverage has become more nationally-focused, with top programs and future NFL stars commanding more of the spotlight than ever before.
The bottom line, per The Athletic's Chris Vannini: "The attendance decline lines up exactly with the expansion of TV coverage and the at-home experience. It's not complicated."

"Attendance keeps dropping because money became most important. Ticket prices, parking, scheduling and especially TV. So don't be surprised when people choose TV."
 
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