I just watched what is sure to be one of the most thrilling matches of the entire Wimbledon tournament, and I never even turned on the tele.
I didn’t actually get to see Croatian Karolina Sprem upset no. 3 seed Venus Williams, but I did get to watch the points add up as the two battled in the tie-break for the 2nd set. I watched it all on the Wimbledon IBM Scoreboard, a fantastic little gift for all of the sports-obsessed workers tied to their desks.
By the time I checked out the Sprem-Williams match, it was already tied 6-6 in the 2nd. The banner at the bottom read, “V. Williams – Triple Set Point” then “V. Williams – Double Set Point.” Uh oh. Suddenly I looked up and the banner flashed, “K. Sprem – Set Point.” Oh my God! This is crazy! Sprem is going to win! Alas, I missed the questionable call that possibly helped Sprem win, but the match sure was exciting.
Staying glued to your computer isn’t all that ideal. Of course, I would have much rather watched the game. But I have “viewed” many a sporting contest this way. It sure beats just reading a headline, then waiting until after work to see the highlights.
Because there are so many sports to keep track of lately, I’ve done a bit of research on some of the best viewing technology out there. By the way, I’ve skipped the full-on video link-ups because they’re intrusive when it comes to checking out the game while at work.
Baseball. I always turn to Yahoo for its low-fi GameChannel. Just click on the game of your choice, and up pops a graphic baseball diamond with all the necessary info, plays, and stats.
Soccer: Euro 2004. Here I like ESPN’s Soccernet. A click on any link that says “LIVE” will launch a graphic football pitch. Little dots represent shots on goal; dots with a red ring around them represent actual goals. What’s kind of cool about those little dots is that you can see which team is really getting a go at the net and which aren’t faring so well. Lo-fi, yes – but informative. There’s a lot more going on here, including a scrolling list of live commentary, last plays, and, sometimes, live pics.
Tennis: Wimbledon. I already told you about this above. Another nifty, but not so useful, feature on the Wimbledon site is the Web Cam. Still images don’t say so much, but you can still click in to see what Serena is wearing. Too bad there’s no commentator cam turned on John McEnroe. *sigh* Even I am surprised by my crush on him.
Wish List. I hope these sites will follow through with similar coverage in the coming months:
Cycling: Tour de France. They say they’ll have live coverage once the tour starts next week.
2004 Olympics in Athens. Okay…so all the athletes will be out on doping charges, but I’ll be tuned in anyhow.
Tennis: U.S. Open. Maybe Venus’ll get her groove back by September.
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