Get back on my lawn.
The curmudgeonly attitude is being put to rest.
Oh, Foodland’s senior discount on Thursday is still in play, and there’s no shame in feigning confusion to get out of a speeding ticket. But this old man no longer will be romancing the stone age. It’s time to admit the good ol’ days did not age so well.
Mostly everything is better today, especially in Hawaii. It was a generation-and-a-half ago the CBS Evening News aired the next morning in Hawaii. Monday Night Football was televised the following Monday. Hawaii sportscasters used to announce “close-your-eyes” time when they flashed the score of game that would be shown tape delayed that evening.
Even after much progress, there were skeptics in 1999 when sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who was hired to oversee the University of Hawaii athletic department’s marketing, predicted one day sporting events could be viewed on cell phones. “Good one, Leigh,” we eye-rolled as we returned to our flip phones.
And now here we are in the golden age of sports accessibility. Every pro and Division I football and basketball game is televised or streamed. A few years ago, Big West games played at California facilities appeared to be shot with a security camera. A strong wind resulted in views of the third-base bag for the next couple of innings. Now all those games are available on ESPN+.
Back in the day, college football teams exchanged videos of their games through overnight mail. Now games are recorded digitally, separated in whole or into situational clips, and sent with a click.
NFL draftniks used to pore through Street &Smith’s football publications and wait for analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s newsletters. With game and workout videos available on line, and the NFL Scouting Combine televised, every fan can be Kiper.
Back in the day, the NBA had a three-to-make-two rule for some free throws. For 10 seasons through 1977, the NCAA did not permit dunking. The NFL had goal posts on the goal line. Now the games are more sensible, entertaining and fair. Better cameras minimize controversial calls. Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception? Not without a challenge flag being thrown. The pitch clock has amped the pace of baseball games. On Sunday, UH — whose head coach is fond of offensive timeouts — completed a game in 2 hours, 23 minutes.
The in-game experience also has greatly improved, from fan contests to an expanded menu that is more than saimin, hotdogs, teriyaki sticks, boiled peanuts and Primo and Olympia beers. Our fond memories of Honolulu Stadium repress that it was nicknamed the Termite Palace because 1) it had wooden bleachers, and 2) on humid nights, termites would flutter around the stadium lights when the Hawaii Islanders played. Every summer night was humid. Street parking was the main parking. Reporters and announcers used a bucket as a urinal.
Those black-and-white photos of University of Hawaii volleyball matches do not capture the full picture of events in Klum Gym. With no A/C and fans sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on pull-out wooden bleachers, it was not just hot. It was ole, ole, hot, hot, hot.
The Stan Sheriff Center is the best in the Big West. Les Murakami Stadium offers great views and hands-free bathroom fixtures. The hope is Klum Gym can be turned into a performance center, and Aloha Stadium’s video scoreboard can be transported and installed at UH’s Ching Complex.
But while there is a way to go, fans and participants have never had it better.
