Making Sense With Your Senses

Meanwhile is there really any technological TV improvement that can make the experience better than attending and watching a sporting event in person at the actual venue? You get to experience so many things that you don’t by just staring and watching the event on a screen!

Watching a sporting event in person at the site triggers all of your senses! I’ll use the following example: My oldest daughter and I attended this past Saturday’s ‘Banjo Bowl’ CFL game in Winnipeg between the hometown Bombers and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders. I’ve watched Canadian Football League games on TV for decades and decades but believe it or not I had never attended an actual game until this past Saturday in Winnipeg! That being said it was an exciting time for me. I took it all in!

Subconciously all 5 of my senses were heightened and helped to preserve memories of the day and game.

Sight – The visual experience was amazing! It started at the arrival and seeing the Princess Auto Stadium – home of the Bombers – it’s MUCH bigger when you see it in person. Both the outside and inside of the stadium (seats over 30,000) look incredible! I think we walked at least half way around the outside of the stadium to find our entry point. In hindsight I really wish I had taken the golf cart ride that was offered to get to our entry point. Lesson learned. Inside the stadium itself I was in awe looking around before, during and after the game – seeing many things you don’t while watching the game on TV. Watching the game on TV you just really watch the action of the game on the field. But by actually being at the game (besides the players and coaching staff on the field) you see the many stadium volunteers and security staff who keep things orderly, the cheerleaders who are constantly entertaining the crowd and of course the countless crazy fans who are a spectacle themselves! You could attend the game and never watch a second of the action on the field because you can be contantly entertained visually by the crowd actions. The way they dressed to show their dedication to their team, including wigs and makeup on some – it was a fantastic visual afternoon!

Hearing – ‘Did you say something? I couldn’t hear you!’ It wasn’t quite that loud but by actually being at the game you could hear much more than by just listening on TV!!! Besides hearing the action coming from field level there was the stadium announcer who not only informed attendees between plays on the field about what was happening but he also hyped up the crowd with his vocal encouragements designed to ‘get you into the game’ and heighten the atmosphere around the stadium. And of course you could hear the fans in the stands needling the fans who were cheering for ‘the other team’. It was all in good fun!

Taste & Touch – Wrapping your hands around a stadium burger or chicken fingers along with some delicious, crispy and golden fries! Mmmmmmm. Your tastebuds are heightened! On the downside when it come to the sense of ‘touch’, the inadvertant ‘brushing’ by someone as you have to get up from your seat to let a few folks by who have had to many ‘beverages’. And then before you know it….here they come again? Didn’t they just ‘go’ a few minutes ago??

Smell – On the positive side: The smell of the stadium food! Burgers, hotdogs, fries, popcorn and so many more mouth watering scents!!

– On the negative side: The smell of some of the fans especially on the bus ride back to our vehicle site!! Hello? You don’t and you shouldn’t smell worse than a football player who’s played over three quarters of the game!! You haven’t so your scent…..should make sense.

All in all it was a fan-tastic experience for my first in-person watch of a CFL game! Will I do it again? Yes! It just makes ‘sense’.