Hello again, Green Button:
OK. I realize I am writing about Sports Channel completely at my own risk. Like many of you, I wish it would work over extenders as well, but I’m not going to dwell on this in this post. Despite this limitation, I am enjoying the heck out of it on my laptop, and I think this March it can introduce Media Center to a ton of new users who, like me, are sitting in a cubicle or office wanting to catch a game or get some info for their NCAA picks.
In one of our threads, someone asked “why use Sports Channel instead of just going to the site where the content resides originally?” That’s a great question, is it not? What makes viewing this content in via Media Center better than via browser? Without a compelling answer to this question, what’s the point?
For me, the answer is two-fold, one fold of which I can enjoy now, the second of which I hope is coming, e.g:
1. The Experience – Sports Channel provides me a focused, sports fan entertainment experience in a way that a browser does not. It’s not just the smooth scrolling or cool interface, either. It’s that when I am using it, I don’t feel so much like I am “sneaking in some sports” on my work lappy, but rather, have given myself some time for an entertainment experience.
This is new for me, because I am old and have struggled to bend my mind around the idea of my laptop as an entertainment device. Research indicates that a majority of 18-24 year-olds think of their laptops in this way, and a recent explosion in laptop sales backs the trend. But until I started getting into Sports Channel, I always felt less like I was having an entertainment experience and more like I was getting away with something. I doubt it was Microsoft’s intention to assuage my odd-ball guilt about watching TV on my work laptop, but hey, from my perspective, that’s a heckuva feature. :)
2. The Promise of a Portal – Hey, I’m all about Arrested Development. Don’t get me wrong. But the hope I have for the direction that Sports Channel suggests to me is that Media Center becomes a more and more powerful portal for a wide range of online content. The energy and efforts this TGB community puts into plug-ins to deliver online content tells me that I needn’t rehash the benefits here. We’ve seen a steady stream of steps in this direction – the Olympics app, NBC nightly news, Internet TV, the Today Show, Sports Channel and, yes, Arrested Development. The more content that can be brought in, the more advantage Media Center gains in this arena over your standard browser. There are some big ones out there, as we all know. When I think of them, I cross my fingers and shutting my eyes and go “please, please, please, please, please.”
The Fallen Super Fan
There was a time in my life when I could have stood toe-to-toe with the best of the sports super fans. Filling out my NCAA brackets was akin to a holy experience. I am actually embarrassed to admit the amount of time I would spend preparing for my fantasy baseball league draft. I refer to this time as the “When I was Single” period of my life, also known as the “I don’t get why I don’t have a girlfriend I Picked three out of the Four Final Four teams” era.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s, I used to buy a cap from the college that won the tournament each year. The I got sick of having Duke and Kentucky and UNLV caps.
It’s been along time since I knew that dude. Filling out my office bracket has been a series of guesses ever since. This year, I’m putting Sports Channel to the test. I’m filling out one bracket this morning with my normal, run-of-the mill knowledge and WAGs. Then, I;m checking out all of the “Bracket Break Downs” on Sports Channel, and filling out a second bracket. Finally, I’m filling out a third bracket entirely by coin toss.
Yes, I realize this is a transparent ruse to make watching sports channel part of my “job” today, but hey, we all do what we gotta do, right? And I want any of you with the slightest bit of interest in college hoops to join in. I’ve set up a TGB Bracket Group for The Green Button users over at CBSsports.com, and I invite you all to enter a bracket in it. I’ll even try and scare up some schwag to send the winner – just use your TGB handle when you enter so I can figure out who you are.
Here’s how to do it:
You are invited to join The Green Button online NCAA March Madness bracket
group! To accept this invitation and join the group, click
the link below (or cut and paste the link into your
browser's address bar). You'll be asked to enter the group's
password before you can join. The group password is included
below.
http://tgbwmc.mayhem.cbssports.com/e?referrer=MKTG_BM_INVITE
Our Group password is: mediacenter
That’s all for now, Green Button. Good luck and good times -
Pete
PS: As evidenced by Sports Channel, there seems to be a disturbing trend towards straight-up spiky hair among college hoops analysts.
PPS: One time I was in a men’s room using a stall next to one occupied by famed Hoops broadcaster *** Vitale. It took all the effort I could muster not to shout out AWESOME WITH A CAPIITAL A, BABY when I concluded my, er, business.
PPPS: As I think about it, one other time I used a stall next to Brent Musberger in the press box at the University of Texas football stadium. What is it with me dropping a deuce next to famous broadcasters? Talk about your disturbing trends…