It used to be a lot simpler - you were either at a game, watching it on TV, or you weren't. You had the focus and the adrenalin of watching the game unfold, or you found out the score afterwards and settled down with the papers the day after to find out what the critics thought happened, whilst more-informed and similiarly cyclopian mates told you what actually went on.
Now...well. There is the horrible half-life of live updates via the Internet or Twitter. Not having satellite TV means, realistically, that the majority of rugby matches I will watch will be in the pub - and I don't have a problem with that - indeed, a good rugby pub is a joy to be in, as the banter flows and you indulge with random conversation with people who are just there to watch and enjoy. But. When you can't get to the pub....terror reigns.
The bleak facts of Twitter can transform even the most hard-bitten supporter into a gibbering wreck. You know the game is on, you can see the scores in front of your eyes....but you're divorced from the reality. You can't shout at the players, you can't lose yourself in the play across the TV screen....you have to wait. You can't even excercise your mind with berating the officials or on-pitch idiocy because you have no idea what's actually happened. A dire situation...but one becoming increasingly more common. You can bulk out the bare facts through other accounts, but you're still just watching for those 140 characters to find more info. For me...it's not enough.
