Part one of a three-part sponsored post series examining the intersection between college football and technology. Today, a look at some future technologies that I look forward to seeing rolled out over the next few years that will help advance the college football game day experience.
Over the last several years, technology has revolutionized how we watch and follow college football. Tools like team-specific message board communities, various blogs like this one, RSS readers, Google News/Alerts, ESPN3.com, YouTube, fantasy college football leagues and pick'ems, Facebook and Twitter -- especially Twitter -- have completely changed the way we consume Boston College football.
While ADs all across the country don't want to hear this, it has gotten to the point where I don't even have to go to Alumni Stadium to properly experience Boston College Eagles football. Sure, the few hours of tailgating we can get in are nice. But so is being completely plugged in to the news of the day, and getting to watch hours and hours of college football from the comfort of your couch.
Enter the next technological game-changer for how Superfans consume BC football. IP TV.
When I'm not at Alumni Stadium on Saturdays, I'm usually at home watching BC from the living room couch. On game day, it seems like my living room has more technology than air traffic control (This, of course, annoys the heck out of my wife.)
- A flat-screen TV (if BC isn't on national TV, which they usually aren't, I'm usually watching another game on mute in the background)
- A laptop to watch the game on ESPN3.com
- A laptop to monitor our Twitter timeline and BCI's game thread and
- My cell phone, which I typically use to receive angry texts from Jeff about how bad BC football sucks.
At times, it seems like technology overload. I'm waiting for the day when a technology comes along that can take all these tech gadgets and simplify my game day experience. I think IP TV is that solution.
Sure, Internet TV is still in its early, awkward stages. But imagine how powerful doing everything you can do on a computer on your TV will become in terms of watching and experiencing Eagles football. Imagine a time where you can pull up the ESPN3 broadcast of the BC game (multiple college football games at the same time, in fact) as well as Tweet Deck, your BC blog or message board game thread of choice, and your CBS College Football Fantasy League stat tracker. All with a simplified user experience that is as seamless as doing all those things on your computer.
I don't think that time is too far off. I look forward to a technology like Internet TV maturing to the point where I can take 4-5 tech devices and use just one to watch BC football.