Do you prefer watching NFL games live or on TV

There are plusses and minusses on both sides.
I discount the cost, traffic, etc as well as the tailgaiting because its about the game.
It is interesting how people disagree about which is a better way to view the game. TV limits how much you can see, but actually influences what you watch. At a game you can watch individual battles for the entire play. You can see the secondary, and the sidelines. You can see what the QB sees downfield. The other half of it is, you can miss something important if you are looking in the wrong spot.
If you sit in the stadium and follow the ball like a TV camera, you miss the advantages of being there. However if you don't understand how to watch football, you will miss important things happening while watching a WR block a corner, for example on a run up the middle.

To me, by far, the reason to be in the stadium is the excitement. This goes hand in hand with how good the team is I'm sure, because there wouldn't be as much excitement watch your home team Browns stumble.
When I watch on TV, whether at home or in a bar, I want no one talking to me or distracting my attention. I want 100% focus on the game. In the stadium it enhances that.

Finally, the reason to stay home, at least in my case, is the negative, complaining fans who gripe all game long about how much someone sucks, and how there is no way we will win. I have a couple of those in our section, but at least the buddy of the worst one has started to bust his balls over it.

Marinlik said:

I prefer watching at the stadium as you can see stuff much better than you can on TV. It doesn't matter how big your TV is. You still won't be able to see the receivers run their routes and stuff like that. I have a 104" screen that I watch games on and that's awesome. But you still only see a very small part of the game.

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Several people have said this exact same thing but ya know what? You see (and hear) a lot on TV that you don't see when you are at the game.

Tunescribe said:

You don't know what to look for. Here are just a few things I see at games that you never will see on even a 100-inch HDTV: who is dressed and who isn't during pregame warmups, line splits, defensive backfield coverages (zones/man-to-man), multiple receiver patterns real-time, line play after the quarterback has released the ball or the ball carrier has passed the line of scrimmage, personnel changes coming from and going to the sidelines, injury treatment on the sidelines (or if an injured player is taken to the locker room during play), position groupings and player-coach interaction on the sidelines, kick returner positioning during a punt or kickoff, players warming up on the sidelines, players returning from the locker room after injury treatment, penalty flags thrown away from the play, etc., etc., etc. -- hell, even the cheerleader routines. I'm sure there's much more that doesn't immediately come to mind. And at the stadium, we also get multi-angle replays on screens bigger than anything you can fit in a living room.

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I'm calling bullcrap. If you can focus on all those things while sitting 500+ feet away from the line of scrimmage, you'd be a professional scout.

Hope i'm not going too far off topic here.wondering if anyone knows whether game day tickets are readily
available at Gillette stadium box office.or, if this topic may be covered in a different forum.(new to this)
would appreciate any advice.
GO PATS !

SB39 said:

I'm calling bullcrap. If you can focus on all those things while sitting 500+ feet away from the line of scrimmage, you'd be a professional scout.

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Huh? I see all those things all the time -- and a whole lot more. What makes you think it's so complicated?

SB39 said:

I'm calling bullcrap. If you can focus on all those things while sitting 500+ feet away from the line of scrimmage, you'd be a professional scout.

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I notice a lot of those things and i am a complete idiot and NOT a scout...hard not to notice it

There are pros and cons to both. I saw my 4th Pats game live this past October, the Saints game. To be in the stadium live for the ending of that game, it comes across well on tv but to of been there live....and it was my first time seeing them win live after 3 previous losing trips.

SB39 said:

Several people have said this exact same thing but ya know what? You see (and hear) a lot on TV that you don't see when you are at the game.

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I agree that you see somethings on TV that you don't see in the stadium. But I still hold firm with my opinion that you see more at the stadium compared to what you see on the TV(with the live cameras, not all 22). I like to be able to see the receivers run their routes and see the DBs do their thing. You don't really see that on TV.

You see some things on TV better than you do at the stadium. But overall I think that miss more on TV compared to having good seats at a stadium.

Live all the way for me!! Nothing like being there! When I have to miss the occassional home game of the Pats I am always sad and feel like I am missing a lot by not being there!

I DO find it irritating at games when morons obsessed with food & beer continually shuffle their fat lard asses in front of me. Anyone who has never been to the games needs to target the "Halloween" game when the cheerleaders get dressed in costumes. (Gay Pats fans just ignore this)

It's easy to isolate on things you want to see at games but if you're within say the 20 yd line and not high you lose at least half the lineup at the far end of the field. In the 3rd level, bring binocs but you do get that All 22 view.

I've been to games for decades and confess that as a geezer and an impatient redhead, I really cannot stand the wait in traffic exiting the stadium. Add an over 90 minute drive afterwards and night games have a serious downside. Of course as fate would have it this year I'll be at the Bengals 8:30PM night game.

While I like to make it to the occasional game, football is the only sport where the live experience doesn't live up to the one I get on the TV. And I don't think it is even close.

Tunescribe said:

You don't know what to look for. Here are just a few things I see at games that you never will see on even a 100-inch HDTV: who is dressed and who isn't during pregame warmups, line splits, defensive backfield coverages (zones/man-to-man), multiple receiver patterns real-time, line play after the quarterback has released the ball or the ball carrier has passed the line of scrimmage, personnel changes coming from and going to the sidelines, injury treatment on the sidelines (or if an injured player is taken to the locker room during play), position groupings and player-coach interaction on the sidelines, kick returner positioning during a punt or kickoff, players warming up on the sidelines, players returning from the locker room after injury treatment, penalty flags thrown away from the play, etc., etc., etc. -- hell, even the cheerleader routines. I'm sure there's much more that doesn't immediately come to mind. And at the stadium, we also get multi-angle replays on screens bigger than anything you can fit in a living room.

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The only things I really see your point on is the defensive back alignment (and really only the safeties, or safety, not in the box), off-camera flags (granted they have the flag indicator which does a decent job), and real-time receivers patterns. And I guess I also can't really argue the merits of seeing the cheerleaders live.

A few of your points particularly bothered me though. Chances are really good that I will have a more accurate inactive list before you just by using twitter, rather than you scanning the field during warm ups. You see personnel changes on TV just as well, and depending on your seats probably even better on the vast majority of plays. If you're focusing on the line play after a pass, while being able to watch play unfold down field then I really have to agree with the other poster that says you should be a scout, because that is pretty impressive.

I had the best of both worlds last year. I was at the Pats/Panthers game in Charlotte. For a mere $400 a bought a club seat (plus another $400 for my Dad), which allowed us access to the luxury box my brother's company rented for the game. We were in the south end zone, the windows opened up so if you sat in the first row, you were technically outside. We had our own waitress, booze, and food. Plus your own private bathroom (only shared by the 20 people in your lux box). The best part was because it was MNF, there was a good 10-15 second delay between the play on the field and the play on the 2 big screen TVs in the box. SO you watch the play live, then lift your head up and watch it again on the TV and then the replay and then off to the next play live. So me, my bro and our Dad sat front and center and watched the game, It was the best football watching experience I have every had!!

It was amazing, we got there two hours before kickoff and stayed an hour after the refs stole the game. The Gronk mugging took place right in front of us. I remember the guys in the next box were jumping up and down when the pass got broken up, and then our whole box pointed to the flag and celebrated! I think we all know what happened next. Bottom line, if you ever have a chance to watch a game from one of these boxes, it is truly the best of both worlds, and well worth the money.

Jrik83 said:

Chances are really good that I will have a more accurate inactive list before you just by using twitter,

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The players come out for warmups before inactives are announced.

Jrik83 said:

You see personnel changes on TV just as well

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No you don't. Many personnel changes occur during timeouts while you're watching commercials. Then play immediately resumes afterward and there's no way you can definitively tell who replaced who on TV, particularly linemen and defensive backs.

Jrik83 said:

If you're focusing on the line play after a pass, while being able to watch play unfold down field then I really have to agree with the other poster that says you should be a scout, because that is pretty impressive.

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You're thinking like a TV watcher. Watching live you see the whole field -- the eye is not a narrow-view camera focused on a few players. I've seen quarterbacks hit, blocks thrown, and blitzing safeties turning the corner after the ball is released and the TV view shifts to where it's going. The same goes for line play -- blocking and defender pursuit -- after the ball carrier hits the line of scrimmage. Again, the main advantage watching live is you see the whole field from sideline to sideline, which the television feed doesn't show you. TV follows the ball and that's only a portion of it. There is so much more going on.

Galeb said:

You can see great near the line of scrimmage with a TV, but you really can't see how the safeties line up or how the defensive backfield develops until after the ball is thrown.

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I'm pretty sure replay would cover the backfield (albeit after the fact).

signbabybrady said:

Not true thanks Dad!

It's not even a debate I get the big screen and the comforts of home but there is so much missed by not being there. TV can't possibly show it all.

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If you like watching the ball and what TV chooses to show you, stay home. Nothing can equal being at the stadium, period.

For entertainment purposes, I enjoy the game in person. You can't beat 60,000+ people erupting all at once.

For football analysis purposes, I enjoy the games on TV.

Been a season ticket holder a long time. Watching on TV is frustrating. As the saying goes. Safeties never lie. By focusing on them you have a good idea where the ball will go. They are not even in the picture on TV. Plus being at the Snow Bowl, Freeze Bowl, AFC Championships. The feeling of being there and having the memories of the stadium reactions make sitting in the cold or traffic well worth it.

Tunescribe said:

The players come out for warmups before inactives are announced.

No you don't. Many personnel changes occur during timeouts while you're watching commercials. Then play immediately resumes afterward and there's no way you can definitively tell who replaced who on TV, particularly linemen and defensive backs.

You're thinking like a TV watcher. Watching live you see the whole field -- the eye is not a narrow-view camera focused on a few players. I've seen quarterbacks hit, blocks thrown, and blitzing safeties turning the corner after the ball is released and the TV view shifts to where it's going. The same goes for line play -- blocking and defender pursuit -- after the ball carrier hits the line of scrimmage. Again, the main advantage watching live is you see the whole field from sideline to sideline, which the television feed doesn't show you. TV follows the ball and that's only a portion of it. There is so much more going on.

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PT 1: I was moreso speaking of how soon we get accurate lists. I definitely have to concede this point though because I have a feeling your moreso speaking of knowing if a stud player will be missing. If one of the stars aren't out there that would definitely stick out.

PT 2: You may miss some personnel changes during TV timeouts, but you certainly can see a fair majority of them on TV.

PT 3: I have watched plenty of games live -- from the sidelines (in pop warner and high school), the stands and even from the press box (my internship in college was at a local newspaper and I stuck in the sports section for a few years before leaving for a job that, well actually paid without screwing up my taxes). I need to be clear that I'm not doubting that you get this experience at a live game, I'm just saying that I don't. My eyes naturally follow the play. I have tunnel vision for that. Maybe that says more about me as a football fan than anything. But I still think you watch the game as a scout would.

Obviously this is a subjective argument and I respect the hell out of yours, but I will always feel that I personally get a better experience at home on TV.

BUSTAMOVE said:

Been a season ticket holder a long time. Watching on TV is frustrating. As the saying goes. Safeties never lie. By focusing on them you have a good idea where the ball will go. They are not even in the picture on TV. Plus being at the Snow Bowl, Freeze Bowl, AFC Championships. The feeling of being there and having the memories of the stadium reactions make sitting in the cold or traffic well worth it.

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Good post. Watch the safeties on defense, the guards on offense. Both will give you an instant read on how a play is developing so you can watch things unfold more fully vs. simply watching the ball. If you just follow the ball, you're missing a lot about why/how a play happens the way it does. TV just follows the ball because it can't show the whole field.

It's not unlike watching an orchestra perform. You get more from the experience if you know what to look for beyond just the conductor and lead violins.