The view...

There’s no doubt in my mind what the best sporting events are. There’s the Super Bowl and the opening rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament, and then there’s everything else.

It’s no coincidence that both are television creations. The Super Bowl often pits two teams which I have no interest watching (and if I did, it was beaten to death in the previous week) in a sport that’s notoriously boring in person. And those first few days of the NCAAs aren’t memorable because of any specific games, but that there are multiple games going on at once makes for two automatic sick days every year.

Now I’m not saying that I wouldn’t want to take in the spectacle of Super Bowl weekend or live and die with a mid-major’s 3-pointers in a potential first round upset; sure, it would be cool to say I was there. But I live 4 hours away from my favorite teams (or any other major teams), so if I were to preoccupy myself with attending the games I want to see, I’d be wasting my time.

I get along just fine with TV and the Internet, thank you. Television provides angles you couldn’t hope to see sitting in row 26, aisle 5, and the Web offers a wealth of retrospective analysis and context (not to mention the couch is much more comfortable).

There’s one thing missing from this vicarious attitude towards sports, and that’s the feeling of being there as a fan to cheer on your team when it matters most, whether it’s the playoffs, a game against a key rival, or even the last throes of a close game. Any Golden State fan sitting at home this postseason was missing out, to say the least. But unfortunately, this experience is hard to come by in big-time sports. In a midseason game against the exciting Phoenix Suns, it took the Jumbotron to even compel Bulls fans to stand up and cheer during a game that came down to a last second three-pointer. And don’t get me started with Wrigley; it seems the tradeoff for Cubs fans getting into things and not accepting their status as “loveable losers” has also compelled them to boo anyone in a hitting slump.

So while I salute the fans painting their chests in mid-January and remain in awe of the dedication of the bleacher bums, I’m not in a rush to join them. I’m content with the view from the cheapest seats.