Our views on the future are constantly changing.
Remember when Back the Future II came out and everyone was amazed by the idea of flying cars and hover boards?
The crazy part is that what is actually happening now is way cooler than any space aged idea of future generations we got from a movie. No one who ever wrote a book or a script about the future ever thought we would be able to access a network of websites that could be instantly updated through our cell phones. It is mind blowing to think of how quick we can access information from wherever we may be during the present day.
For every hardcore sports fan out there, this has been a dream come true. Not only are we able to keep up to date with the latest scores and highlights, we are also able to give and receive information in an instant through the medium of text messaging.
Your favourite player just re-signed with your team? You text all your friends about it. Your top scorer in fantasy football just had surgery and is out for the season? In a matter of minutes your co-workers are chirping you via text message. Planning to organize a road trip to check out a playoff game? The details can all be worked out in a back and forth conversation where no speaking is even required.
Even professional athletes get their updates through their phones.
"Luke Schenn would text me, he was at the draft for his brother, and told me who we picked," Matt Stajan told Top Cheddar at the LG Canadian Texting Championships in Toronto.
Relaying information is only one part of the equation when it comes to communication with the athletes. Through a forum like Twitter, guys like Shaq and Terrell Owens are constantly informing their fans of what is happening in their lives and giving their opinions on what is going down in their sport.
Some athletes have even broke stories on their Twitter accounts. Kevin Love let his followers know before anyone else knew that Kevin McHale was let go by the Minnesota Timberwolves. That definitely was not a well thought out move by Love, but it is the type of information that sports fan desire when they choose to follow athletes on Twitter.
Noticeably absent from the recent emergence of athletes on Twitter are NHL players. It shouldn't be shocking to any hockey fan that this is the case. Other than Sean Avery (who has a Twitter account but rarely posts), there aren't too many hockey players that constantly attempt to market themselves as individuals.
Chris Campoli of the Ottawa Senators gave his take on the lack of NHLers in the world of social media:
"Hockey players are a lot different than other athletes in that, I think our lives are a lot more private. You don't hear about a lot of guys in the media for the wrong or right reasons."
The post-lockout NHL has tried to provide as much access as possible to the fans and for the most part the players have been accomodating. Stajan and Campoli both admitted they would not be the type of guys to break stories online, but both were open to the idea of the possibility of a Twitter account.
"It seems to be a good way to interact with the fans and kind of update them with what's going on in you life," Campoli said.
Stajan also added, "Down the road, for fans, maybe I'd do something."
In an effort to appease fans, I don't think it's crazy to suggest that the NHL and its teams might even encourage their players to do this at some point.
In an era where we are inundated with sports information, the demand for fans to know more and know now is increasing at a rapid rate. It's something that we crave and the technology that we have through our phones has only ignited our passion for professional sports.
Doc Brown could have been right. Maybe where we're going in the future we won't need roads. As for the present, it's starting to become more clear that wherever anyone goes they better bring a smartphone with them. More information is available to us at all times and there is no need to wait until we get home to find out about it.
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