Has TV Changed the Way We View Sports?

Since the invention of the television, the way we take in information has evolved greatly. Before the TV we relied on the radio to get the latest news about political debates and elections, holidays specials and events, and picks on who was going to win the matchup at the cross town classic football game. How we rely on the television to deliver the general public novelties regarding all of these topics. Besides breaking news, one phenomenon that has taken hold of the American people is the way we take in sports via the television.

Some might say that TV has the power to change everything. Not only everything, but everyone. In instance, if you catch a documentary film on the History Channel, you have to keep in mind that the subjects in the documentary know they are being filmed and may change their behavior due to the presence of the video camera, even though they try their best not to. The distinct nature of humans creates a subliminal desire for us to modify our personality, behavior and actions in some way on the television. Maybe someone wants to appear funnier or more stern. This idea of the television affecting behavior transfers across the board. One area that is has greatly affected is the sporting world, more specifically the football world.

Many things were different before everyone put so much hype toward that NFL Sunday Ticket. Look at football many years ago for instance. Games were much lower scoring and attacks from passes rarely occurred. There was far less specialty as members of the team played both defense and offense. Someone scored a touchdown and the audience applauded and the game continued. There were no delays due to showboating from an individual player trying to get a reaction from the crowd. Football was about two teams coming together to get down and dirty to determine an outcome, a winner and a loser.

As the years started to pass, athletes with more exceptional talent began joining the ranks. Many people in fact attribute the change in football to the increased athleticism and showmanship of players, as opposed to the satellite TV that now broadcasts the games around the globe. Players like Don Hutson and Bear Bryant came into the picture and knocked the socks off live audiences during their reign at Alabama during college. Hutson is thought to be the person reasonable for popularizing the passing game that has grown to take over football as we know it today. The time he spent in the pros playing under coach Curly Lambeau for the Green Bay Packers brought him even more into the spot light.

Back then there was no high definition television, but nonetheless, people gathered around their living room TVs to watch him make history. One connection we can make a connection between these two ideas, that television changed football and that football changed television. It is a partnership that has progressed together over time. As technology has advanced, we can now see the game from the comfort of our own homes with an incredible picture in HD so clear that you can see the sweat dripping from the players faces.

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