Syracuse Orange: Five reasons that I choose the Syracuse radio/streaming feed

On Syracuse Orange game days, many of you will head to the Dome or a local sports bar or watch with family and friends at home. For me, my favorite option is to listen privately to the radio or streaming feed.

When I was a kid, we used to watch the games on local stations, listen to the radio or just get the highlights from the local news sources. At 16 years old, we moved away and it became harder and harder to see or hear the games. Then came the internet and then came streaming.

Over the years, I have secured cuse.com accounts solely for the purpose of being able to hear the games while residing in North Carolina for about 20 years. So between 3 years in Plum, PA, 4 years in the Army and most of those 20 years, I went without. Then occasionally if SU played a Carolina team or was on ESPN, I could watch or if I had the opportunity, I would stream it on my computer at home.

These days, I have the cuse.com account, the Varsity app and Sirius XM radio on top of being back in the Syracuse area again where I can listen on one of the Galaxy Communications channels (TK-99, KRock or ESPN Syracuse). So I will occasionally go to games when my wallet and schedule allow. I will sometimes watch the games on TV with family too but honestly I still prefer the radio and streaming feed.

And while maybe I can't "see" the action, I assure you that the radio teams do a great job of providing enough information that I feel like I can. Also I often work odd times so listening allows me to hear them while working too.

Today I thought I would share with you 5 reasons why I think more Syracuse fans should consider doing it as well. I get the desire to see the action but I think some of you are also missing out on the enjoyment and knowledge you can get listening sometimes.

Five reasons why I prefer the Syracuse Orange radio/streaming feed.

- Matt Park's Knowledge

Matt Park is the voice of the Orange. Matt travels with the team and interacts with the team and staff. He knows the players and their names. Matt is a Class of 1997 Syracuse alum who started with the Orange in 2003 and is a local guy (graduated from Chittenango High School). So that is 20-plus years as the voice and a lifetime in the area. He knows how it feels to be an alumni, he knows how it feels to be a local fan and he knows the programs.

Matt is also very fair in regards to his calls as far as occasionally even calling out the team or players if he feels there was an issue but also passionate about the team as well. I truly enjoy listening to the games Matt calls and the home team feel he brings to a broadcast.

- I am a HOMER!!

I am not a basketball fan or football fan or soccer fan or whatever (baseball maybe). What I am though is a Syracuse homer fan and I want my calls from people like Matt who are around the program and know the teams well. Some of those TV analysts do some great work providing content as they cover the games but far too often I find myself just uninterested in the content they share because it's not Syracuse centered. I may have lived elsewhere throughout the years but I bleed Orange and I simply want to follow my team and know more about them.

Even at 52, there is still a part of me that is that 14-year-old boy wearing my Syracuse shirt to school and excited to see the results of games in the Syracuse Post Standard or on Channel 5 news and excited about my team. I still like my information mostly sourced by the local media who follow them and not other teams or sports whether I agree with them or not because I believe they are providing the best insight they can with the information they have and for the fanbase that follows the team.

-Kyle Fetterly's Excitement on a Syracuse Lacrosse Goal

There are a few sports that I follow that I am not as knowledgable as I am with other sports. Lacrosse is one of them. I never played it much outside of PE and playing catch with a friend here and there. But the lacrosse radio feed is very knowledgeable and fun (though I do wish they had the women's lacrosse games as well).

Part of that fun is the Kyle Fetterly call when Syracuse scores a goal. Kyle seems very intelligent about what he is covering but my favorite part is the excitement he has when the Orange scores a goal. Yes I want information to help me know what is happening, but I also love personality sometimes too. I want to know you care like I do and it's not just a robot calling the game.

- Pre and Post Game Interviews, Press Conferences and Coaches Shows

Since I am a homer, if I can, I also like to hear from the coaches and players to see what they have to share about the game and the programs. I like the coaches shows too when I have the opportunity to listen. I find it also helps me understand what is going on with the programs besides wins and losses.

I get those matter but I also know sometimes there are mitigating circumstances that we as fans should take into consideration before trying to fire someone or send them hateful comments on social media. Maybe it's the Ted Lasso in me where I know wins and losses matter but also hoping the players on the teams I love become the best versions of themselves as people.

I am not a "everybody deserves a trophy" guy nor do I make excuses (though if that's what you think, so be it) but I think sometimes there is more to things in this life you won't find in the standings and stats.

- It's Easier than Ever to Find the Games

I don't need to tweet the local journalists or await the announcements. I know if I have The Varsity Network app, the Cuse.com app, or locally what station TK-99, KRock or ESPN Syracuse is on so I know at show time to simply tune them in (Sirius XM varies slightly more but can still be a god source if you want).

And I know that I can get that Syracuse feed every time and not worry about who is covering the game that night. And again that doesn't mean everyone else sucks, it just means that I trust the folks who cover the teams and know I will enjoy it more. My only regret is that I can't always get games for women's lacrosse, softball, soccer and other games that I would like to hear occasionally as well.