Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Samsung as part of an SB Nation wide series. Keep reading, and that will become obvious.
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It's not every day that global icons make their way to Portland to solicit feedback regarding the future of the world, but that's exactly (sort of) what is happening right here, right now, in this very space.
Who are these gentlemen? Why, you might remember them from last week. They're the Board of Directors for Samsung Corporation. As I mentioned last Friday, I am meeting all seven of these men for a business lunch at Mary's Jake's to discuss the one question in the entire world that is their collective obsession: how does technology Enhance Your ExperienceTM while watching sports?
I was feeling the pressure so bad to come up with good ideas for the Samsung guys that I threw up a contested, off-balance three-pointer last week, making a joke about Freebot's attractiveness and then accidentally admitting that my laptop is worth more than my car. Remember that? "Not a good look, bro," I told myself while writing that last paragraph and shaking my head.
Thankfully, you guys absolutely destroyed it in the comments, coming up with some great ways that technology has or could enhance the sports experience. I begged and you delivered, helping make my lunch with the Samsung Board of Directors next week a guaranteed success, even though it continues to be a figment of my imagination and part of a carefully choreographed national advertising campaign by an international monolith.
Here were my five favorite suggestions as to how technology can or should Enhance Your ExperienceTM while watching sports.
5. Blogs and social media. They've changed the game into a full life experience for any fan, anywhere. Couldn't agree more.
4. DVR. An absolute must. How else would I be able to watch all 82 of John Wall's games?
3. High Definition Television. Another must-have. Sometimes when I put on sunglasses I think, "Man, why is the world only broadcasting in standard def today. Weak sauce."
2. A great idea from DaNoose. A second audio feed from coaches, players or sideline chatter that could replace or supplement the broadcasting crew's call during a game, that you could toggle back and forth between. That would be amazing. I bet Charlie Villanueva wishes this existed right now!
1. A dream television with the ability to split the screen into multiple inputs so that you could watch multiple channels, play video games or view your computer desktop simultaneously. This was suggested by Henge: pure genius. Henge, if this lunch was actually happening you would be invited. You'd have to sit between the 3rd and 5th gentlemen pictured above, but you'd be invited.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter