Cisco technology helps enable first live streams of World Series action

With the World Series wrapping up with game seven tonight and a new champion to be crowned, it's a great time to reflect on the game and its impact on fans.

Baseball is much more than a game in America.  For well over 150 years, the sport has been woven into the fabric of our cities, neighborhoods, families and culture. For millions like me, the World Series has produced memories that last a lifetime. Every October, I reflect on the heartbreak I suffered in 1985 when my beloved St. Louis Cardinals blew a 3 games to 1 lead to the Kansas City Royals.

And all along, Major League Baseball has used technology to make the fall classic available to as many fans as possible.

The 1921 World Series between the New York Giants and Yankees was the first World Series to be broadcast on radio. The 1947 World Series was the first to be televised, and the 1955 World Series was the first televised in color.

Now, another first in 2014, as large numbers of fans have been watching the first live streams of World Series action, representing a milestone in Major League Baseball broadcast delivery and allowing fans to watch on the go with an MLB.TV subscription. Each Giants-Royals game televised by FOX in the 110th Fall Classic is also available live online and via mobile to existing MLB.TV subscribers at no additional cost.

For the first time in the history of baseball,the entire World Series experience is being delivered to fans by making content available for live streaming across any internet connected, video capable device.  This from mlb.com on Tuesday, October 21st:

"... Game 1 was the first live stream of a World Series game in the U.S., representing a milestone in Major League Baseball broadcast delivery and allowing fans to watch on the go with anMLB.TVsubscription. Each Giants-Royals game televised by FOX in the 110th Fall Classic is also available live online and via mobile..."

This new experience has given many fans access to games they would have missed in previous years.

"It's so cool to not have to miss a single pitch of any game because I can watch every game, whenever and wherever I want," said addicted MLB.TV user and Cisco Analyst Relations manager Ben Culp. "I am not always near a TV or radio, and having this access brings my passion for baseball to a whole new level."

Even my friend Jim McHugh who leads marketing for Cisco's Data Center portfolio noted that he was not fretting about missing the games, despite heading out on a business trip to Asia because he planned to log in and watch the games on MLB.TV on his mobile device. Here's a screen shot showing his location and his service lighting up:

This is quite a contrast to baseball games played in the early years when the only way to see a game was sit in the stands or get a peek through the fences around the ballparks. It's also a leap forward from only having access to games through network TV or broadband connected computers.

So how are all these new fully immersive and very mobile experiences possible?  With a combination of hardware, software and services from innovative organizations like MLB Advanced Media, which partners with Cisco to transform its business and the experiences of its customers.

By leveraging Cisco's Open Network architecture and state-of-the-art technologies contained in Cisco's video portfolio, mobility solutions and Cisco's Unified Computing Platform, baseball fans everywhere are now able to experience baseball wherever, whenever, and however they want.

And because of this, the beloved author of baseball's anthem "Take me out to the ballgame,"  Jack Norworth, would not have had to wait 32 years after writing the song to actually go and see a game... it would have been brought right to him.

Play ball!!