How Technology Is Bringing Us Closer To The Teams We Love

(Photo by Jeff Golden/Getty Images)

Now, I need to start with a caveat. I'm coming off of four years of basically being shunned away from Washington football by Tyrone Willingham, so for me this is a big deal.

At the same time, I don't have a really great pulse for things going on in other programs but Washington, and certainly not outside of the Pac-10.

That being said, I'm really excited for the enthusiasm that Steve Sarkisian is bringing to Washington, and the fact that the program is becoming very transparent.

Tyrone Willingham played in closed practices, hated the media, hated the fans, and more or less pissed everyone off as he rode into the sunset with Washington money lining his pocket.

Sarkisian was brought in to bring a new energy to the program and stressed that it was a clean slate for everyone in the program.

Along the way some interesting developments have occurred that make me even more excited. 

Sarkisian has started twittering, along with several other high profile coaches like Pete Carroll and Rich Rodriguez, getting caught up in the national phenomenon.

I'm not a huge fan of twittering and to be honest—I don't really understand what purpose it really serves.

However, some of the updates are really interesting for a rabid fan, but they are also great for someone who doesn't really have an in depth grasp of the inner workings of a football program.

At this point, for anyone associated with Tyrone Willingham and the way he operates, they should be able to recognize how far removed this is from him.

The newest thing that Sarkisian has done is to start a program blog to provide an in depth look behind the curtain at the program. Coach Sark is trying his utmost to distance himself as much as possible from the previous regime.

Sarkisian says that even though his name is on the blog, most of the writing will be done by former Seattle Times writer Matt Peterson, but that both he and other members of the staff will contribute.

Jared Blank, the director of player personnel has already posted videos showing the first several months of the Sarkisian reign and an interesting video of the coaches practicing how to practice. The videos are produced well and hint that this blog could become a great marketing tool for the Huskies.

In the BCS era, it is incredibly important for teams to market themselves if they want to look towards the title game. Obviously, performance on the field makes the biggest statement, a la Urban Meyer or Bob Stoops scoring massive amounts of points on their opponents all season.

However, look at other parts of many programs. Websites get started to help inform voters on possible Heisman candidates.

Look how much "the promise" got around all last season. Florida even put it up on a new building to inform people of it.

Marketing is a humongous part of running a football program, and this new wave of growth in new technologies is just another effort in marketing.

Another factor may be key to the puzzle as well. Pete Carroll has maintained a website about USC football for a while now. In interviews, Sarkisian has stated that Carroll is one of his biggest mentors, and you can see the influence here.

As a Washington fan, it would be easy to be cynical about it and claim Sarkisian is just copying USC. However, they have won the last seven Pac-10 titles in a row, and obviously this works for the Huskies.

Technology is going to become more important to how fans approach their teams. Fans want access—that is more or less a universal truth. 

Thomas Friedman, the New York Times columnist, says the world is flat, and I doubt he is referring to the way in which fans participate in a team, but it fits. Fans are slowly becoming part of the process, albeit as bystanders looking in. 

In the end none of us really want to be integral parts, because we really wouldn't know what to do. We just want a little recognition and the feeling that this is where we belong.

At the end of the day, isn't that what sports is all about?

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