“It’s lights out and away we go,” is a sentence I only get to hear live once in a while. And when I say “live” I mean cozy in my bed, eyes glued on my TV. But being in college, and the vast time difference in the world, has made it harder and harder to hear those famed words.
I am an avid sports fan. Ever since I was a kid, I was watching football, hockey and golf with my dad. My parents and I watch the Olympics every cycle. And while I may not have been the most involved in sports in my youth, I definitely enjoyed them from the sidelines.
Now that I’m in college, it has become harder and harder to watch my favorite sports, especially those that aren’t as easily accessible in the States.
Just putting it out there, I’m both a Formula One (F1) fan and a Manchester United F.C. fan, which yes, I know, is controversial.
My Gripes with Formula One
In F1, there are 24 Grand Prix (GP) weekends from March to December. These races are worldwide, and are in countries including but not limited to Bahrain, Monaco and Australia.
There are only three United States Grands Prix: the Crypto.com Miami GP in Miami, Florida, MSC Cruises United States GP in Austin, Texas and Heineken Las Vegas GP in Las Vegas, Nevada.
I have only been able to properly watch the United States GPs because the time difference is more manageable.
I’ll stay up a couple of extra hours to watch the Las Vegas GP, because a three hour time difference won’t ruin my sleep schedule. However, I can’t exactly watch the Heineken Chinese GP at 3 a.m., especially if I have papers to write and exams to study for.
If there is a race happening at a reasonable hour, and I can’t sit and watch it, I’ll put the live timings on my phone and keep track that way.
I miss out on a lot of the “fun” of watching F1 that way, awful pit stops, drivers and their beef with radios and amazing overtakes, but at least I can keep track of who is on the podium.
My F1 fantasy team will still kick it, even if I can or cannot watch the race, but the time difference isn’t the easiest to deal with. For the record, I’m no bracketologist – I simply pick drivers and teams that I support and fill in the blanks based on vibes.
Premier League, Not at Premier Times
Like I said, I am a Manchester United F.C. fan. However, every time I want to watch a Premier League match, I am in class. EVERY. TIME.
Luckily, watching soccer (known as football outside of the U.S.) is a lot easier for the sleep schedule. Matches are typically early morning to midday EST, meaning if there’s a particular match I am itching to watch, I can.
However, more often than not, I am in class – not the most practical time to watch a soccer match.
Luckily, Manchester United’s Premier League schedule is from April to August. This makes it easier to watch a match over the summer, but I’ll also be working at the same time, making this timing thing problematic yet again.
My Work-Arounds
To keep up with the ever-changing nature of sports, I am always active on each team’s Instagram and find myself constantly checking in or reposting their posts on my story.
Making sure I can still participate in the fun parts of these sports is key to finding joy in watching them, even if I can’t watch them live.
Watching YouTube clips of drivers reacting to memes, or TikToks of fans struggling to support their favorite teams, just brings a bit of pizazz to missing out on a match or race.
It would be the ultimate dream to go to Old Trafford, Manchester United’s Stadium, or the Monaco GP. The energy of the crowds seems so fun, and I’d love to be a part of it.
But until that marvelous day arrives, I’ll stay stuck in bed with my eyes glued to my TV.
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