Touchdown: the best Android apps for football season
Blue 42…set…hike! A couple of days ago the NFL pre-season officially kicked off. That means we’re just a few weeks away from the college and pro football seasons getting started. The World Cup provided us with some futbol, but now it’s time for some hard-hitting real American football. One of the best companions to any sporting event is a smartphone. Real-time stats and information in the palm of your hand can make a football game much more immersive. We’re pumped for the season to get started, and these are some of the apps we use to follow our favorite teams.
CBS Sports
CBS is one of the main TV networks for the NFL and the SEC games. The CBS Sports app gives you access to all of these games, plus every NFL and college game you can find. Follow live action with GameTrackers, scoreboards, box scores, and even streaming live video of top events. Plus you can set up scoring, team news and breaking news alerts to keep you on top of all the action. The CBS Sports app works great on tablets and phones.
ESPN College Football
If college football is more your thing we’ve got apps for that too. ESPN has the best coverage for college sports, and their Android app is pretty darn good too. Some of the features include in-progress video alerts of the biggest plays, easy access to live games on WatchESPN, personalized My Games scoreboard featuring any college football game you care about, editorial coverage , ad much more.
ESPN Radio
Sometimes you just can’t get to a TV to watch the game. Maybe you’re stuck at work, or stuck in traffic. Listening to a game on the radio can be a fun new experience, too. ESPN Radio is a great app for finding a way to follow your favorite games. This app is especially useful if you’re trying to find an out-of-market game. With the ESPN Radio app you can also listen to shows like Mike & Mike, The Herd, and more.
ESPN SportsCenter
Is there anything more synonymous with sports as SportsCenter? This simple highlight show has become one of the most watched and well-known programs on TV. The SportsCenter app is a great way to track every game with real-time stats, video highlights, scores, and alerts. This app is also great for following breaking news stories. Love them or hate them, ESPN is the king of sports.
Fanatics
One of the most important things about being a fan is the gear. In order to cheer your team on you need t-shirts, flags, mugs, decals, chip bowls, foam fingers, and anything else with your team’s colors. Fanatics.com is a great place to find fan gear for any of the teams you love. The Fanatics Android app makes it easy to browse the store and buy items so you can be ready for gameday.
Fantasy Football Apps
The football season is great for more than just the games you see on TV. While real athletes compete on the field, millions of average Joe’s are waging battles of their own. Of course I’m talking about fantasy football. One of the biggest advancements in fantasy football has been the smartphone. Managers can track their players’ performance in real-time, make trades on the go, and much more. Here are a few of the best fantasy apps available.
The most important day for ever fantasy football manager is draft day. The draft may only last a few hours, but the results will determine how you do the rest of the year. Don’t go into any draft unprepared. Draft Punk is an essential tool creating a championship team. Simply enter the rules and teams from your league and let Draft Punk do the work. The app will determine the best player available for you to draft, and keep track of everyone’s picks.
League Apps
There are several popular platforms used by most fantasy football leagues. Luckily all of the big ones are available for Android. Download these apps to keep track of drops and pick-ups, trades, and gameday scoring. Find the app below for whatever your league uses.
Football Schedule 2014
A great app for people looking for something simple is our very own Football Schedule 2014 app. Fans will love the beauty, speed, and simplicity of the schedule in Football Schedule 2014. The quick loading interface and attractive layout not only provide easy access to the full schedule, but you can also choose your favorite team, highlight important matchups, and get quick access to your most important games.
FOX Sports GO
FOX plays tons of football games across the span of a season. If you don’t have access to this channel you will miss a lot. FOX Sports GO gives subscribers access to FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, and your regional channels. FOX Sports 1, especially, is a very nice up and coming alternative to ESPN. Watch live streams of games and great shows on the go with your phone or tablet.
NFL Mobile
NFL Mobile is the NFL’s official app, so you can bet it has all the features you need to keep up with the NFL. Breaking news, in-game highlights, live game scores, custom team news, and fantasy football news are a few of the features offered by this app. If you’re a Verizon customer you can even get access to NFL Redzone and live games on Sunday and Thursday. When you want the NFL you go to the NFL’s official app.
TeamStream
Team Stream by Bleacher Report is a great app for following only your favorite teams. Because why should you care about news from some other team? Pick the teams you love and get real-time, hand-picked notifications so you’re always the first to know big news. Open a stream anytime to find scores, next games, videos and even more stories for your teams from local newspapers, websites, blogs, Twitter, and Bleacher Report.
Thuuz
Can’t watch enough great sports moments? Thuuz is a must-have app for you. Thuuz makes sure you never miss a Steelers-Ravens game for the ages, a Tom Brady 4th quarter comeback, or Peyton’s 6th TD throw. Thuuz rates all live and upcoming games on a scale of 0-100, making it easy for you to know exactly what to watch. Personalize the app based on your favorite teams, sports and even your Fantasy players so Thuuz will alert you to the games near and dear to your heart. If you always miss big moments you need this app.
Twitter may not have been created with sports in mind, but it is one of the best apps to have on gameday. If you follow the right people you have access to a treasure trove of inside information, stats, sideline reports, and commentary. There is something so cool about experiencing a big sporting event with thousands of people on Twitter. Plus, it’s a great way to trash talk your rivals from the safety of your own couch. If you’re still not on Twitter make this season your first.
Yahoo Sports
One of my personal favorite apps for football season is Yahoo Sports. This is another great alternative to the “Mothership” a.k.a. ESPN. Yahoo Sports offers a great UI with real-time coverage of NFL and college games. You can set up alerts for your favorite teams and games to stay on top of the action. You also get access to the great reporting, breaking news, and editorials from the Yahoo Sports website.
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Are you ready for some football? With these apps you will be a lean, mean, football tracking machine. Now that we’ve shared our favorites we want to hear from you! What apps do you use during football season? What teams are you rooting for this year? Let us know in the comments below.