Bubble Life: 5 Ways To Upgrade Your Home Sports Viewing

It’s sort of fascinating to look back a few months and remember that professional sports seemed to be totally out of the question because of the coronavirus. Now, not so very long after that point, we’re seeing sports in jeopardy for an entirely different reason. As our recent piece on the Milwaukee Bucks’ strike pointed out, the NBA has paused not because of COVID, but in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Bucks’ decision led to a playoff-wide pause, and even caused stoppages in other sports ranging from tennis, to baseball, to hockey. After all this time it was yet another incident of violent racial injustice — not the deadly pandemic — that stopped sports.

This is an issue that demands attention, and the hope is that the actions of athletes across sports will give rise to more awareness and more action by those with influence. Putting aside the main issue though, this stoppage in play sheds light — in a roundabout way — on the fact that sports bubbles were working. The fact that something else halted league action makes you stop and realize just how well the NBA and other leagues had done to set up scenarios that allowed them to continue.

Moving forward, there’s no reason that this can’t continue to be the case. We know the NBA is hard at work on figuring out its 2020-21 plans; the MLB is considering playoff bubble scenarios; and leagues that get less coverage, like the WNBA and MLS, have proven effective at handling the crisis as well. What’s less clear though, is when fans will be able to attend games again. While we see the occasional report about the NFL hoping to have fans, or NBA owners angling for partial attendance early in 2021, there’s really no indication that we’ll be able to go to games anytime soon. It wouldn’t be a surprise, really, if the idea is basically off the table until 2022.

With that in mind, then, and to have a little bit of fun in the midst of a tough time for sports, we did some thinking about how to upgrade a home viewing experience. If you’re a big fan — be it of the Heat, the Dolphins, or any other team — you may as well take this time to turn your home into the best substitute it can be for the stadium or arena.

1 – Invest in a Perfect TV

Yes, a TV is a pretty major investment. It’ll probably cost you more than a few games’ worth of tickets (though not necessarily). But it will also last for years, and if sports are a big part of your life, it’ll be worth every penny. The right TV, particularly these days, will show games in astounding clarity, be they in the NBA’s Orlando bubble, an empty Hard Rock Stadium, or anywhere else. Truth be told, there are plenty of incredible televisions to choose from, and you can get an excellent one for under $1,000. For pure quality though, the LG C9 OLED TV listed on Seattle Times might be our pick for the best sports TV out there. The picture is just off the charts (and will pick up that bright, interesting staging for NBA bubble games very nicely).

2 – Take Advantage of Seating

One thing that’s better about home viewing than going to a game live is that you have more control over your comfort. So, why not take advantage of the idea and ramp up your seating situation? Granted, most of us get sort of attached to our chairs and couches, particularly in the living room or den areas in which we watch games. You may have a perfectly broken in couch you’re not interested in replacing. If so, fair enough! But if you’re exploring ways to make home sports viewing more satisfying, a new, comfy couch or chair certainly can’t hurt.

3 – Explore New Speakers

One of the things you really miss when you can’t attend live sporting events, beyond just the viewing, is the atmosphere. You can’t replicate it entirely at home, but you can do a lot to enrich the experience by making sure the audio quality is as strong as possible.

This is particularly helpful given that some of the leagues are using artificial crowd noise and music to make things sound a little more like they ordinarily would. Here, as with TVs, there are a lot of options on the market, and most modern speakers will sound pretty terrific. But the the home electronics on Adorama features the Sonos Beam Soundbar which is described as good as it gets when it comes to soundbars — and at a pretty reasonable price. It will take the audio coming through your TV and project it as immersive surround sound that — if it’s not too cliché to say — really brings the game to you.

4 – Set Up Your Streaming

Streaming makes for tough decisions these days. While many have broken away from cable in favor of more specialized, customizable alternatives, there are discrepancies between services that make it important to choose carefully.

For a sports fan though, the choices are somewhat simpler. Now is the time to sit down and compare options, and determine what will give you the most access to the sports you love. First, go through services, from full-fledged cable alternatives like YouTube TV, to league-specific services like MLB TV. Then, make sure that whatever you’re using to stream to your TV — Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, etc. — supports the services you depend on. Once you work all of this out, you’ll have access to everything you want and more.

5 – Consider A New Grill

Finally, let’s be honest: If you’re missing the stadium or ballpark, you’re probably missing the food. We all love our favorite sporting event foods, and while we can’t replicate them at home (you just can’t ever get that exact flavor…), we can certainly cook up some tasty alternatives. So, if you’re really concerned about the full experience of watching your favorite sports at home, we’d recommend considering a new grill also. The Weber Spirit II E-310 Gas Grill reviewed here is among the popular favorites for 2020, and we have no reason to disagree with the choice. It’s appealing for its significant amount of cooking space and lack of unnecessary extras, and it’ll certainly help you cook up whatever you like for the next game.

As we noted above, the sports world and sports fans have more serious things to be concerned with right now. Leagues have justifiably stopped action in a widespread demand for racial justice, and it’s a decision true fans should all support. Looking to the long term though, and a near future of at-home sports viewing, these are a few fun ways to upgrade the altered fan experience.