We all know over the last 15 years or so sports radio has taken giant steps. But I’m hear to point out some things to make you a more educated fan.
1. Newspapers
Too many people read only online. But here’s the problem too much knowledge gets left on the table. Here’s why…
When you are reading you are going from article to article up and down the page. You end up reading articles you would blow over for numerous reasons if you were to read them online. Why is that burgerboy ? Because online you tend to read the front page of the sports or espn. If it does not have a catchy title you totally skip over it. Therefore you miss things of importance somewhere down the line. Another important factor in your sports knowledge is commentators/ editorials/ columnist. Who has a favorite online columnist? See no one does. But with newspapers you know a guy, you read him and like him you have opinions. Columns are important for this. They mold and shape you. If you have a opinion on a subject, say for example is Jack Morris a hall of famer?, they steer you one way or another. Maybe they reinforce you thoughts, maybe they they strengthen your opinion with more ammo, and maybe they say you are wrong, and give you examples why, which is always good food for thought. Another thing is boxscores. Online how often do you read them? In the paper a lot of people will. When I was a kid I read the box scores daly for the Astros and Yankees amongst others. I wanted to know who was leading in era or stolen bases. It’s a lost art these days without a paper because fans won’t take the time.
2. Weekend evening sports radio.
This is a very underrated way to learn. For one thing it’s usually national. National is good because you get a idea of what people outside of your region think of your team. That’s the true test of what your team is, the impact outside of your market. How many fans before October knew much about the Rangers?
Another nice thing about weekend evening radio is you have several channels to choose from, not just espn or your local. You get Fox, CBS, and sporting news. This is important in your development. It’s not all north east biased, it’s not all kissing a sponsors hind end etc. I’m here to tell you there are some very good weekend night hosts. They present a much broader range of topics for you to think on. Why is that? For one thing you have less commercials or what feels like less, so you get more talk. For another being at night and on a weekend it’s much more well rounded. You’ll not just hear NFL labor crap. Youll hear some golf, tennis, NASCAR and baseball. Well rounded is a good thing. Here again these will mold you as a educated fan. They tend to be more caller friendly. You won’t get cut off 20 seconds in, you are made to believe your opinion counts. These guys may never be household names because you can only have one DP or Mike and Mike but none the less they are very solid. I do not want to name names, but it won’t take you long to realize weekend nights is very solid. This, as my site is for the thinking mans sports fan.the guy with the Johnny U jersey, that honestly wonders how with all the famous Yankees number 34 is not retired? If you do these things I suggest you will be a much more educated fan, I promise.