My Daily Sports Media Routine

My sports media “diet” today is pretty simple and steady, and it fits into my daily routine without me even thinking about it. In the mornings, if I’m at home near a TV, I usually start my day watching ESPN live or catching up on updates through YouTube. When I’m not at home or just on my phone, I get most of my sports content from Instagram and TikTok. The big jumbotron-style TV in Broderick Dining Hall also has ESPN or The Pat McAfee Show on all day, so even when I’m eating, I’m still getting nonstop sports updates.

The sports I follow the most are the NFL, the MLB, and ODU athletics. My favorite teams are the Baltimore Orioles and the Dallas Cowboys, so most of the content I look at relates back to them. I check sports updates pretty much throughout the whole day. On Instagram, the main page I follow is @DC.Network, which posts Cowboys updates constantly.

I probably check it nine or ten times a day. On TikTok, I just watch whatever sports highlights or news pop up on my For You Page. Compared to how I used to consume sports when I was younger, my habits now feel way more natural. I’m able to keep up with everything in real time instead of relying on next-day highlight videos. Watching live sports, whether it’s on TV or on my phone, makes me feel more connected to the moment instead of just reacting afterward.

I don’t expect my sports media routine to change much in the next few years. I’ll probably keep watching the same teams and using the same apps, because it works for me. If I could change one thing about the sports media world, I would stop the nonstop expansion of all these “plus” apps. It feels like every sport is creating its own streaming service for a new partnership, and it makes watching games way harder than it needs to be. For example, with spring training starting up, I want to watch the Orioles, but I’d have to get MLB Network+ just to see the games. I wish things could go back to when most games were on ESPN or regular cable, because now fans have to jump between five different services just to keep up.