Memories Relived via First Streaming Football Game

I was miserable.  We had just reached Kings Station in downtown London after standing for fifty-one minutes on the train from Basingstoke. It was a crowded train, standing room only for a Sunday night in late January, and my cold had just upgraded its status from mild irritation to drop you to your knees horrible.

"Will the NFL playoffs game be available on the tele?" I asked the man at the front desk of the London hotel. It was the post-season and our favourite team, the Seattle Seahawks, were scheduled to go helmet to helmet with the Green Bay Packers. Our push to get into London that day was so that we would be able to see the kickoff at 6pm.

"The what?" He asked leaning forward. I stepped back, determined not to share whatever crud was floating around my head, chest and throat. Our communication was hindered by the echo his voice was creating in my bounding head.

"The playoffs? NFL? Seattle Seahawks?" He continued to stare at me, waiting for further clarification. "Not a thing here. I get it."

Once we were on the same page, he mentioned that a pub may be our best bet for viewing. I had serious doubts that I was going to make it to the elevator on my own, let alone my room.

I made it to the comfort of our room with Mike's assistance and two key promises: a pot of tea and a hot bath.

While I was soaking my sore muscles and trying to figure out if that dull hum was just in my ears or in the washroom, Mike fiddled with the remote in an effort to decipher the channels. Apparently our guide was out of date. The chances of watching our team was fading. I knew that if it wasn't pumped into our hotel room, I would not be able to hit the pub.

Moments before kick-off, Mike shouted from the other side of the bathroom door that he figured it out. We may be in business.

And that televised game was one of my favourite viewing events. It didn't hurt that the Seahawks came back from a deficit to take the NFC championship.

The game was pumped through an England channel, almost like ESPN. Since they don't have the same commercial amounts that the US does, they often filled the two-minute breaks with the English sports anchors commentary on the plays that had just occurred. They explained the strategies behind the plays, how the defense could have responded and how that will impact the over all game (such as impact on the clock). It was excellent football discussion mixed with hard-hitting action on the play.

Had I felt better, our viewing experience would have been different. The two of us would have ventured out of the hotel room to mix and mingle with others at a pub. The chance of us hearing the English commentary would have been nil.

My trip down memory lane was sparked by this morning's historic NFL live stream of the Buffalo Bills vs Jacksonville Jaguars live from London. It was a worldwide stream of the NFL action -- free of charge -- for the first time ever.

The awesome thing about the game is that we were watching a game with NFL fans, not necessary the fans of the two teams. There were cheers for the big plays. Jerseys from almost every team was  represented. It was a positive energy that came from the fondness of the game. It was what makes watching football exciting.

There's was only one disappointment for me with Sunday morning's game. I was kind of hoping to have the same format from that one night in London. I would love to watch another game, broken down play by play.

I think it is a huge step towards online game streaming on a large scale -- especially for the US. Canada has different streaming constraints and we are able to view hockey games and extensive Olympic coverage (all of the sports) online. I think offering streaming to the people who have cut the cord is a huge step and a trend I would love to see carry on.

#watchwiththeworld