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Enjoying March App-ness: Tech’s Role In The NCAA Tourney
Sport is a simple activity with incredibly complex surroundings. Think of inner city kids scrounging up a worn-out basketball, rigging up a rough rim and backboard over a scabbed blacktop parking lot, and playing basketball for hours. How is their game different from that played by college powers like Kentucky and Duke? Very little, really, with the exception of the immense investments in providing for viewers.
Basketball is relatively simple sport. A standard area of hardwood with a goal at each end, five players for each team, and somebody to keep the clock and the score. But over time, the demands of those in the seats (and eventually, those watching on TV) began to further complicate it. Now, like most sports, basketball is already heavily using technology for a variety of functions inside the game. Fouls are reviewed, clocks double-checked, and three-pointers verified for foot placement.
When tournament time comes, the technology goes into overdrive. And it’s not just on the broadcasting end, it’s also in the hands of viewers.
New apps have created all sorts of amazing opportunities for basketball fans getting ready for the season’s culminating games. More importantly, the ubiquity of the Internet has made keeping up with sports news effortless. These days, fans can get their fix of 2015 NCAA tournament news not just by watching TV, but also via checking real time updates on their smartphone.
Begin at the beginning. The host itself, the NCAA, has an app that permits full tracking of the tournament’s latest. This is especially helpful in early rounds, with many games underway simultaneously. How does a fan choose which game is shaping up to be the most exciting? The CBS system of using multiple networks to air games works beautifully–as long as the fans can settle on which one to watch. The app allows real-time tracking of game progress to see where an upset is shaping up and where a blowout seems likely. From there, the fan can quickly navigate the remote to the most appealing matchup.
Of course, the NCAA app is more news-oriented. Many fans want an app that will track their progress (or lack thereof) with their bracket. ESPN has developed an app to handle their Tournament Challenge game. This lets players make their picks on their phone and automatically scores them as the tournament progresses. With a tidy cash prize on the line, it’s already been downloaded by over a million users.
If you’re more a debater than a game-picker, BreatheSport is a forum for discussing sports events with other fans. A UK version emphasizes cricket, rugby, and football, while a US edition goes along with baseball, basketball, and American football. For either side of the Atlantic, it’s more than just an anonymous barn for hotheads to bait people into arguments. You can build a reputation, interact with former players in a variety of sports, and springboard off of articles written by full-time sport journalists. It’s like having a seat right on the set with the professionals.
The level of information and participation available to today’s fan is amazing. From choosing which game to watch to knowing what it does for your bracket, you’ll be up to your neck in the tournament. And as each game closes, you can have plenty to discuss–and plenty of people to discuss it with you. It’s a far cry from sitting on a crate alongside a cracked asphalt court.
The post Enjoying March App-ness: Tech’s Role In The NCAA Tourney appeared first on Gearfuse.
Source: http://www.gearfuse.com/enjoying-march-app-ness-techs-role-in-the-ncaa-tourney/
