Keeping my distance from sports broadcasts on streaming services

I’m a little bit of a contrarian. Find a fad and I’ll find a way to shun it.

When the wave comes around the ballpark, I’ll sit down, then stand again after it goes by. I never got into sushi; a friend forced me to try it once. Just once.

I miss the double switch in baseball and can’t wait for Devo to become a hot band again.

So when the local heroes can only be viewed on a streaming platform instead of their usual TV home, I wave the game off.

Sorry, but I’m not interested in the streaming services. Call me a troglodyte if you want, but I’ve decided this is where I’m making my stand.

I have watched games on streaming services. They were nothing special. It’s hard to appreciate the nuances of the game when I’m watching on my smartphone. The screen is just too small to do the game justice. It’s like trying to watch on my thumbnail.

The streaming services don’t produce the best picture either. And while I can hook them up to my TV, I haven’t found them especially easy to use either.

Then there’s the cost.

It’s $9.99 monthly for Apple TV to watch the occasional Major League Baseball game and all but a few Major League Soccer games. You need Peacock to watch a handful of Big Ten games for another $5.99 a month, tax not included.

I’m told ESPN+ has a bunch of sports. I’m just not sure I want to watch them, especially for another $10.99 a month. And there’s something called Paramount Plus too for $5.99 a month, plus tax?

I can live without watching a Thursday Night Football game on Prime Video. I watch too much sports as it is. It’s a hazard of the job.

I’ll stick to cable and over-the-air stations. I’m used to being gouged by the cable companies, plus they’ve got everything I need and the advantage of familiarity.

I’ve heard the “wave of the future” argument. Maybe there will be a day when all sports broadcasts are on streaming services only. If it happens, I’ll adjust. For now I’m content to live in the present.

So that’s OK if my favorite team is only being broadcast on a streaming service tonight. I’m a big fan of their radio broadcast team too.

In other words

* Congratulations to former Arlington Heights resident and first-time author Ken Smoller on his new book “Last Comiskey,” which celebrates the park’s final season in 1990. Ozzie Guillen wrote the book’s forward. The book is published by Eckhartz Press.

* Shouldn’t there be a referendum before deciding to use public funds for a new stadium for the Bears and White Sox? Voters in Kansas City and Las Vegas seemed to think so.

* The White Sox might have hired the wrong off- and on-field personnel from the Kansas City Royals.

Daily Herald Sports Editor Orrin Schwarz can be reached at oschwarz@dailyherald.com.