Kevin Larroyer / November 30, 2021
My sports consumption can be viewed from the traditional and new media perspectives. Traditional media platforms include broadcast, cable, satellite television, radio, newspaper, and magazine (Gantz & Lewis, 2014). Radio, magazines, and Television played a massive role in becoming a sports fan. I couldn’t attend every game of my favourite football team, so that I would listen to the game on the radio (Levy, 2017). Radio allowed me to create my highlights with an unlimited palette of images when I imagined how the Stricker scored the goal (Owens, 2006).
Television has been a game-changer for me, especially when my dad subscripted the pay-television channel ‘Canal +’. Yes, when pay-television took the leadership over public media (Evens & Lefever, 2013). Canal + offered more than just the game (Gantz & Lewis, 2014). E.g., there was a pre-game show where consultants would present the teams and debate who they thought would win. Also, there was the post-game show where they analysed the game.
Playstation One launched in 1994
Fantasy sports have transformed the way I consume sports and have fostered my attachment to sports (Levy, 2017). It started with the first format of fantasy sports, the “Subbuteo” board game, and the “Panini” Player cards which each year before the start of the “Ligue 1” I used to collect and stick the player’s cards in my Panini book (Lomax, 2006). Later, microcomputers converted sports board games into computer games with the launch of the PlayStation (Lomax, 2006). After that, I used to play PES which reproduced players graphics and ratings. I remember picking Marseille to wish I could build my dream team.
Today, new media platforms complement and improve my sports consumption in many ways (Gantz & Lewis, 2014; Sanderson & Kassing, 2014). New media platforms include computers, mobile-based technologies, and the internet (Gantz & Lewis, 2014). Because of technology’s rise, sports is now available 24/7 on many different platforms such as internet-enabled television sets, mobile phones, tablets, game consoles, or laptops (Gantz & Lewis, 2014; Rowe & Hutchins, 2014). As a result, I don’t need any more to be at home, at a sports bar or near a TV to follow sports. Now I spend more time following sports than I did before. I can watch a game from multiple screens, allowing me to control the content (Gregory, 2010; Bowman et al., 2010; Gantz & Lewis, 2014). E.g., I can watch a game from my smartphone on the train. Also, when I watch a game on TV, I can simultaneously consult team news and statistics while giving my opinion about the team performance on the fan page on Twitter.
I couldn’t decide which traditional or new media I prefer if I had to choose. I like the traditional media when watching a game, and I would focus 100% on the game. However, today when I watch a game, I love sharing and interacting with my friends on social media. Question for the Millennials generation, what was your favourite fantasy game? If you liked the blog why not to connect on my social media?
Media and Digital Transformation in Sport 