I like home entertainment technology as much as the next Sports Fan. Much more often than ever before, there is nothing in the sports world more inviting than my couch, my HDTV and my remote. So it doesn’t surprise me in the least that a considerable amount of hand-wringing is taking place among the owners of Big Time sports franchises, who are seeing attendance erode at the same time that television ratings are going up.

In fact, the most ironic thing I’ve read about sports in a long time was a piece in Sports Business Journal that described the efforts underway to make football fans at stadiums feel more like they’re watching the game at home.

But as a pretty well-informed observer of live sporting events, I am here to tell you that there are some sports that not even the best technology in the world can fully capture. Some that even 3D HDTV can’t improve upon. I boldly say this with full knowledge that I’ve just torpedoed any chance of a massive sponsorship deal with Sony.

I now present five sports that, once you see them live, cause you to say “Now I get it.”

(#5) Pro Surfing:  Work with me here, because I know you’re thinking “Can’t those cameras right there in the waves with the surfers give me a better view than I could get on shore?” You are indeed correct – they can.

But! Those cameras can’t accurately capture the mood that exists on the shore as fans jointly engage in trying to spot the swells that will become the waves that get captured on camera. Half the fun of a surfing competition is the anticipation that builds when the crowd in the sand realizes that in about 30 seconds, something amazing could happen. If everything triangulates just right and the surfer gets to that magic swell in time…well the actual ride is almost an afterthought. Especially when you can turn to the person next to you and say “I saw that one coming.”

Oh, and those cameras can’t possibly capture all of the beautiful, bikini-clad girls either. If that sort of thing interests you.

(#4) Stock Car Racing:  Again, it’s all in the atmosphere. Last June I hadn’t been wild about my impending trip to see the Toyota SaveMart 350, but I couldn’t claim that I had taken the pulse of American sport if I had omitted NASCAR from my schedule.

I prepped for the event by watching a race on television with a couple of people who are NASCAR fans. The knowledge they conveyed was helpful, but I still wasn’t captivated. That changed once I had my first race in person under my belt.

It is a scene that can only be fully appreciated once you have spent an afternoon marveling at the sound and the fury that at first assaults you – but then draws you in. I defy anyone’s adrenalin levels to remain static when a field of cars screams by you at full throttle.

And while I was prepared to be annoyed by the legendarily obnoxious fan behavior, I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and unguarded everyone seemed to be. There was almost an air of innocence to the environment. It was part sporting event, part state fair. With the volume cranked up.

(#3) Whitewater Canoe & Kayak:  Unless you have someone on duty in your living room to spritz you periodically as you watch a whitewater paddling event on television, you can’t know what it’s like to be that close to the action.

Sure, that level of proximity to the USA Canoe/Kayak Slalom National Championships will cost you. It set me back $8 to park, and another buck to tip the shuttle bus driver. In other words, the whole day cost me less than the price of a beer at most NFL stadiums.

Any time that I was motivated to do so, I left my seat on the bank of the river and walked down to the fence, where I had a view that was better than that of any camera. I could actually observe forearm muscles tense and relax as paddlers alternated between fighting the current upstream and deftly guiding their vessel as it shot down the river. And without the limitations of a television screen, I could see the entire run lie out before each paddler and gauge in advance which critical spots would determine whether they would conquer the rapids…or vice versa. 

(#2) Ice Hockey:  There is probably no sport that has benefitted more from the advent of high definition television. It used to be that watching a hockey game on television was an exercise in frustration as you tried in vain to follow the puck. It was like a vulcanized version of “Where’s Waldo”.

Things are much better with HDTV. I can now watch a game and spot the puck with ease. Most of the time.

In person, seeing the puck is never a problem. I don’t know why. I’m not even sure my optometrist knows why. But if I had to guess, it would be context – as in the context of the game’s flow naturally draws your eye to where the puck is most likely to go next. With the benefit of a wide-angle view, you see where everyone on the ice is at all times, and how that current position will factor into subsequent play.

And here’s a little tip:  At your next live hockey game, try to get a seat that looks directly down one of the end lines. Since the pile-up on any scoring assault usually happens in front of the net, your side angle usually provides an unimpaired view of goalie and goal. Like this video of overtime at The Beanpot game between Boston University and Boston College, for example. You’re welcome. 

(#1) Soccer:  The beautiful game. The world’s most popular sport. And the most effective cure for insomnia I’d ever encountered – until I went to a game played at the highest levels of competition.

As is the case with ice hockey, it’s all in the broad view. When you can see the whole field at once, you can see all of the angles. I had never known that soccer was a game so tied to geometric configurations until I watched a game with a knowledgeable fan. Now I can spot them unfolding by myself, which gives me a leg up (sorry) on understanding how goals happen – instead of twiddling my thumbs waiting for the ball to randomly get kicked in the direction of the goal. Imagine my delighted surprise to discover that there are as many “Oh! Almost!” plays occurring on the wing as those that occur in front of the goal.

It also helps tremendously that soccer is one of the very few sports that never stops. You are engaged for at least 45 minutes at a time. And if by chance your attention should wander, and you happen to be at a Seattle Sounders game…well, watching the fans watch the game is worth the price of admission all by itself.