With the growth of the television media in recent years, it is simpler than ever to watch your favourite sporting events via local channels, cable, dish or even the internet. True sporting (and by sporting I mean football) fans will not only be interested in the game play, but the players, their stats, health and projected scoring and game patterns through their careers; the coaches with their training and game play techniques, the managers and yes, even the cheerleaders. The most entertaining way to keep up with all of these is through good football programmes on TV, the internet and radio.
Where to look for updates:
Team websites:
Start with the website of your favourite football team. They love publicity and will announce (usually on the front page) all media appearances that managers and team members are scheduled to make well in advance of the dates. This is especially helpful if you want to catch appearances on call-in radio programmes or live appearances and autograph signings which themselves are pretty much guaranteed to end up on a programme themselves. This only works for professional teams and you should keep in mind that good programme updates will fall off during the off season when appearances are more geared toward endorsements etc. rather than team game play.
Before the game:
Before every game, networks will have their own pre game programmes to allow viewers to catch up on what they may have missed with their teams. These are informative as you get the most recent info on who will game favourites, team and player histories and trends for the season, projections and expected performance in that particular game. The format is usually the same across the board with a panel of about 3 – 5 persons from a variety of disciplines including sports news casters, retired players and even the occasional fan.
Visit cable and local network websites (for example you can try ESPN, FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC) that will show game converge to get time for team games. Pre game shows will start anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour before hand and will run right up until the teams are coming onto the field.
Post game:
It’s not over until the game is. If you missed the pre game show, there is always the post game show. These tend to highlight the plays that took place, referee calls, coaching strategies and the overall performance of the players.
On the internet:
The World Wide Web is an excellent source to find football programmes. Any fan can start their own video blog and commentate just like the pros do about performance and game play. Unfortunately not many fans actually know as much as the pros do and the information you get from these, though entertaining, probably shouldn’t be quoted unless you can verify it. Many rumours of player trades, team sales, draft picks and even injuries have started because fan media websites. Outside of actual game play, fan sites can get very personal with their commentary, getting into personal lives of the teams. If that’s not an aspect you’re interested in when looking for football programmes then its best to stick to “official” programming sources.
