5 of the Best Apps for Sports Lovers by Trevor Charles
A decade – or so – ago, sports fans had only two ways of knowing where their favourite teams stood; catching the game live or watching the sports news. But times have changed, and with so much happening, you can’t be at all live games or always catch the news. Also, there really is no fun in only getting to know the score after the world has already celebrated, is it?
Sports apps have made it much easier for fans to catch their favourite players in action even when on the go. As long as you have a smartphone or an iPad, you get to watch when LeBron James sinks in a neat three-pointer wherever you may be.
Below we list 5 of the best sports apps on the market today, some of which are free for users of both Android and iOS, and some that require a subscription, but offer more.
- ESPN– Free on Android and iOS
The ESPN has it all. From real-time updates to breaking news, expert analysis of games and players, and real-time scores. The app broadcasts news for all leagues in the world. Soccer, football, basketball, tennis, track, college games, and a host of others are all available here.
If you don’t need all updates on each league, you can customize your ESPN app so that you only see what you like. Fans can stream live games too if they subscribe to a $5-a-month ESPN+ service. The subscription allows you to catch all the action as it happens and a little commentary from ESPN writers.
If you don’t need to stream live action to your device, ESPN is free for both Android and iOS, but it comes with advertisements.
- CBS Sports– Free on Android and iOS
When the season for any sport starts, fans want to get up to speed with each game, so that they don’t have to play catch-up weeks later. With a CBS Sports download, you have all the news you need, including both NCAA Basketball and the PGA Tour, which you can stream live.
It has all the other sports categories too, including Hockey, Soccer – Champions League, the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, and others – Baseball, Football, Tennis, Auto racing and more.
If you want a more personalized stream of news and reports, you just need to make the required changes on the app to receive breaking and regular sports news, live video, regular analysis and updates, live CBS Sports radio, and many more. Everything on this app is free, but you will get a few adverts now and then.
- The Athletic– Android, iOS: starting at $4.99/month
If you would rather not be bothered mid-read by adverts, then The Athletic is the ideal app for your Android or iOS device. This app charges a monthly fee that allows you to watch uninterrupted coverage and analysis of the NBA, local and college games and even features the NFL preseason schedule. You will also access its thorough and long-form write-up from the app’s writers.
Before paying the monthly fee, you are invited to try this app for 7 days. If you find it suits you, you will pay $4.99/month.
- theScore– Free on Android and iOS
This app is dedicated to giving sports fan all the information they need to predict a future match with an events calendar that contains upcoming matches, past scores and statistics, as well as the latest matches. You get up-to-the-second updates, breaking news, and through expert analysis of each game.
During live games, you get a breakdown of the game by the minute, so you are in the know when your favourite player scores or makes an attempt. It allows you to follow individual players and teams so that you get the news first when they make a move. Customize the app to suit your preferences too, and all this is free of any charge for both Android and iOS.
- Bleacher Report– Free on Android and iOS
Unlike other sports apps that bring you updates on all teams and games, Bleacher Sports prefers to narrow its focus to the most vital. From the get-go, you get to choose the teams you would rather be updated on, and Team Stream will then deliver updates from all sources on the web. This app allows you to access videos, photos, stories, and news on your choices at no charge, whether you are on Android or iOS.
Are you still getting your news hours after the game? Try any one of these and see how you like your updates.
