Monday Night Football. My preferred football team the Washington Redskins were playing their rivals the Dallas Cowboys, which statistically speaking means they were likely to lose. The Redskins had a chance to take control of the division which, considering their recent history, meant the odds were against them. Factor in the game started at 8:30 which means it was inevitable it would end around midnight, and why did I watch the game (which they lost of course)?
The moment.
Sports is one of the few televised events that still has the moment. Serials are so often DVRed that we are constantly afraid of spoiling those big moments, while streaming shows like House of Cards are meant to be binge watched, not discussed in the moment.
Sports are the final frontier of The Moment, where if you are not watching you could miss something amazing. There is no “spoiler alert” so if the five foot nothin’ kicks a game winning field goal, or the forward scores the sudden death goal in OT, or the pinch hitter hits a home run, you are automatically a step behind the next day. And while you may be able to DVR and watch a game later, at the office water cooler you’ll be a step behind the conversation.
Sports – the spoiler alert-free zone.
Robert Hay Jr. 