Vote: Is football better viewed live or at home?

November 30, 2011

Picture this: You've been offered tickets to Sunday's Bears game, but you're not sure whether to take them. You love the Bears, but do you really want to deal with the cold, crowds and cash drain? Does the "being there" factor outweigh your desire to follow your fantasy team? RedEye tackles this issue in the inaugural edition of Go Nuts!

GO TO THE GAME

Have you ever heard a story recounted like this: "Yeah, man, I saw Devin Hester's record-breaking punt return touchdown—from my couch"? No. That's because truly special sports memories happen at live events. The sheer excitement of witnessing a football game live is enough to trump watching it at home: 60,000 people cheering, high-fiving strangers, collective booing, stadium jams, the wave, misspelled signs. Do I even need to mention the gloriousness that is tailgating? Your living room may be a comfortable 70 degrees and there's never a line for your bathroom, but c'mon! It's a short season. Man up, paint your face and get to Soldier Field.

-- Dana Kavan

WATCH IT AT HOME

I'll admit I would love to spend $20 on two beers, sit in a $200 seat, listen to a bunch of meatballs curse at Caleb Hanie and feel like Frosty by the end of the game. … Oh, wait, no I wouldn't. I'll take the comfort of my own home, thank you very much, where I can take a bathroom break that does not amount to a 20-minute walk, where I can put ketchup on my hot dog—take that, Bears fans—and where I can monitor my fantasy team loaded with Packers, yes PACKERS, as it kicks everyone else's ass. Then, I'll be napping by the time you make it out of Soldier Field. Yep, that's a terrible way to watch a game.

-- Brian Moore