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It’s a question sports fans often disagree on: is it better to watch a game of footy at the ground or in the comfort of your own home, in front of the TV?
While there’s nothing quite like soaking up the atmosphere at a packed stadium, you just don’t get the close-up detail that live broadcasts offer.
But not all sports are created equal; some fans who just have to get to the ground to watch a game of AFL might prefer to turn on the telly for a game of rugby. With that in mind, we’re going to break this question down individually for four of the biggest spectator sports in Australia: rugby league, rugby union, AFL and football.
First up, it’s league.
Making the case for sitting in front of the TV is The Roar’s Assistant Editor, Daniel Jeffrey, while long-time Guru and live blogger extraordinaire Scott Pryde will be arguing the opposite.
Let’s get to it!
Daniel Jeffrey, Assistant Editor
I’ll take league on TV over going to the ground any day of the week.
There’s nothing better than rounding up a group of mates to settle down in front of the telly for a solid arvo of footy. And before you say it’s better to do just that at the ground, you’re wrong. Just wrong.
Rugby league is tailor-made for TV in that it’s a linear sport. It crawls up and down the field, each play often confined to about ten metres of the pitch. There’s rarely anything going on behind the play, nothing you miss out on when viewed on TV.
So, with that in mind, let’s say you do take a group of mates to watch an NRL match at the ground. You’re guaranteed to spend at least half your time forlornly craning your neck because the action is so limited to one small section of the field.
Unless you’ve coughed up some premium dollars for the perfect ticket – hardly the most affordable way to enjoy the footy in a large group – most of the action is going to be difficult to see clearly.
Even if you have a great seat on top of the halfway line, you’ll still struggle to see the play down either end of the field, and if you’re stuck in a corner seat, forget it – you’ll be lucky to get a good view of more than ten per cent of the game.
Watching on TV is the polar opposite. The dozens of cameras ensure you and your mates get to watch the game in the clearest detail possible, while the constant stream of instant replays and halftime highlights packages only adds to the experience.
Ultimately, if I’m watching a game of footy with my freinds or family, I want to be able to see all the action on the field. The best – no, the only – way to do that, is to turn on the telly.
It’s no contest.
(AAP Image/Dan Peled)
Scott Pryde, Roar Guru and Live Blogger
You can picture it now. Standing on a packed hill among thousands of other passionate NRL supporters, bellowing something at one of the 26 blokes on the field or disputing a refereeing decision. You have a meat pie and a cold drink in either hand.
It’s enough to make you forget about all of the world’s problems for 80 minutes, as you invest yourself in the contest on the field.
Sure, some will say you can still do that at home, but isn’t shouting at your TV the definition of going insane? Why would you prefer to do that at home, rather than with thousands of others at the ground?
There is nothing as good as getting amongst the atmosphere on a Sunday afternoon at a suburban ground.
Your experience of the game isn’t dictated by a camera crew, who only want to show close-up angles and ad breaks – lots and lots of ad breaks. You don’t have to listen to the garbage being spouted by 90 per cent of commentators.
Instead, you get a look at the whole ground, with the aid of big screens if you need them, and decide on your own opinion of the game, without the help of Phil Gould and Ray Warren’s ‘banter’.
Going to the ground also gives you a chance to make a day of it and check out the under 20s or reserve grade talent, who could well be in your club’s first-grade jumper in the near future. And why wouldn’t you want to know about that?
Some of my best memories are at the footy. The 2010 grand final tops the list, but even an average Dragons versus Sharks game in 2015 was sensational as 20,000 packed into Kogarah.
It’s an afternoon out at the footy, supporting your team. What’s better than that?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
There’s watching sport and there’s EXPERIENCING sport. There’s no better TV for sports fans than the Samsung QLED TV which captures fast-moving scenes with ease. Every blade of grass is showcased in stunning colour and thanks to the Quantum Dot technology the game will come alive in your living room.
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