Picture this, it’s a Saturday night, the Canucks are on, you recline back in your chair, your hockey group chat is buzzing, and you’ve got all the snacks and drinks your heart could desire right at your fingertips. 

Here’s the question, if we can watch everything on demand in crystal-clear HD from our couch, why would we ever go to a live game? 

When I went to my first ever live NHL game against the Jets a few years ago, it was magical. I mean, it probably helped that the Canucks stomped them 5-0, but when I first walked in, you could immediately feel the aura when you get into the seating area. The ring of honour, the retired jerseys, decades of history happened here. There’s a feeling in the air that doesn’t translate through a screen. 

When a goal is scored, it’s not just something you watch; it’s something you experience, together. The sound hits you like an eighteen-wheeler, people jump out of their seats and scream at the top of their lungs, stranger’s high-five like they’ve known each other for years. And for a few seconds, nothing else matters. That’s the difference, at home, you’re watching the game, but live, you’re part of it. 

Especially if a hotbed like Vancouver, sports aren’t just entertainment, it’s part of our culture, it’s in our veins.  

On the other hand, steaming has completely changed the game when it comes to sports. You can pause, rewind, switch angles, and catch every replay without worrying about missing anything. 

Take the Canucks for example, regardless of them being awful why would you shell out hundreds of dollars and drag yourself out to Rogers Arena to be crowded in with an ocean of people, with extremely overpriced concession, and in this case a terrible product. 

I went to a Canucks game this year, one of the worst mistakes of my life. It was the game where the Rangers came to town, the return of JT Miller and the last chance to see goaltending legend Jonathan Quick in BC. Should be a slam dunk, right?  

(Dean Herman)

The Canucks got shut out 2-0 in one of the most boring games I’ve ever seen, not to mention some old man with the voice of an ear piercing banshee that cut through the air would not cease screaming about pineapple on pizza and confection ovens at Quick every time the puck came to his end. It got so bad I started hoping the Canucks would not even get into the offensive zone. I wish I had just stayed in my dorm and played NHL instead. 

Not to mention, modern fandom isn’t just about getting to watch the game. Half the experience now is reacting online, you’re now part of a much bigger conversation.  

So, are live sports still worth it? 

Well yea, of course they are, just maybe not as much as they once were. 

Steaming gives you control of the game, but live sports gives you an experience, you’ll never remember each and every game you watched on your recliner while covered in Cheeto dust, but you’ll remember every time you went to the arena or stadium for the rest of your life. In a world where almost everything is available to you at any time, to be there in the moment surrounded by people reacting the same way you are,
well, that’s something you can’t DVR.