I have been a loyal fan of the Detroit Lions, Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers since I was a kid growing up on Detroit's East Side, and will remain loyal to these teams for the rest of my life.
But with the exception of a few times a year, I have stopped attending games and do all of my sports-watching through television.
My not attending games anymore has nothing to do with the price of tickets, the hassles of parking, or the logistics of going to a game. In fact, I live downtown and can walk to Comerica Park, Ford Field and the Joe Louis Arena. Nor am I one of those fans who thinks athletes are overpaid. I believe that you are worth what you can get.
The fact that three of the four Detroit teams play in publicly subsidized venues (the Pistons paid for the entire cost of the Palace) irritates me, but not to the point that I will not attend a game because of it.
My attendance at pro sports games in Detroit has dropped for three reasons.
One, the improvement in television technology makes watching a game on TV a real kick. The large, flat-screen, high-definition television (HDTV) is a truly wonderous invention and tailor-made for watching sporting events. Game coverage now has remote cameras at just about every angle, including an overhead camera that follows the action from above as the players move down the football field or basketball court. Cameras are now in the dugout, on the sidelines, courtside, everywhere. The TV producer in the booth is cutting constantly from camera to camera. Between the action we can watch 'em spit, scratch, cuss, bump fists, distribute high fives, the whole deal, replete with constantly-streaming graphics, player stats and old takes from prior games.
Two, the growth and popularity of sports bars provides a wide choice of comfortable and enjoyable venues where you can watch a game with a hundred or so other fans and soak in the excitement and noise of a crowd rooting for the home team. You get to moan, boo, cheer and holler with the crowd and "get into" the game just as if you are actually there. You also get to watch all the instant replays in regular and slo-mo and of course, the beer is cold, the food is hot, and there are no long lines at the bar or the restrooms. One of my favorite tricks is to walk downtown on the night or day of the game and slip into Chelio's or Coaches Corner sports bars and restaurants. I get the feel and excitement of the game crowd on the streets and in the bar before and after the game. Sometimes I will drive to Royal Oak for a game and soak up the street life on Main Street.
But most of all, I've stopped going to games because of the nosie and the marketing overkill that has taken over pro games. (College sports have been professionalized and over-marketed, but still maintain a purity and tradition that I enjoy.) This is the main reason I have been shying away from actually going to the games -- paricularly Lions and Pistons games. The Palace of Auburn Hills and Ford Field are beautiful facilities, designed to meet every need and pleasure of the fan. However both venues annoy me with their public adress systems. I don't mind so much the loud music during breaks in the action as I do the constant intrusion of music and sounds into the actual game itself. I also hate the between-the-action promos like the Dunkin' Donut race at Lions games. With all the hype, I miss hearing the crashing of pads and the grunts of players, the squeaking of basketball shoes, the players hollering for the ball, and of course -- how could I forget -- "the crack of the bat."
The worst invention was the thunderstick. They have almost ruined NBA playoff basketball. Thank God, Major League Baseball banned thundersticks from the playoff games. The Red Wings games suffer from some of the same nosie pollution, but at least you can still hear the players crashing the boards and their skates shaving the ice. I'm not yet so much the old fogey to say I'll never attend another pro game. There are still moments, in spite of all the manufactured hype, when there's nothing more exciting than when the Pistons break out of their timeout huddle to the deafening roar of the crowd and blare of loud music. I guess I'll just have to bring my earplugs.
