Andrew McCutchen was a former First Round Pick (11h Overall in 2005), and four years later, after tearing it up at every Minor League level, he took over in Centerfield for the Pirates.

McCutchen finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, and two years later, he went to the first of five consecutive All-Star Games.  Growing into the top Centerfielders in the National League, McCutchen showed power, with seven straight 20-Home Run years, speed with five consecutive 20-Stolen Base seasons, and he hit over .300 three times, including winning an On Base Percentage in 2014 (.410). 

A four-time Silver Slugger, McCutchen had four top-five finishes in MVP voting and won the MVP in 2013 when he had a 24-HR year with a Slash Line of .314/.404/.508.  

McCutchen's stats slipped after 2015, but he was still a very good player and the heart and soul of the Pirates.  Fans were stunned when he was traded to San Francisco before the 2018 Season, ending the popular player's stay in Pittsburgh, at least for a while.  The Pirates brought McCutchen back as a veteran in 2023, where he remains today, adding to his legacy.  

Bob Friend played most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951-63), where he quietly had one of the better decades of the National League's Pitchers.

Friend cracked the Majors in 1951, but it was not until 1955 where he proved himself as a bona fide Starting Pitcher.  While his record was only 14-9, he led the NL in ERA (2.83) and bWAR for Pitchers (6.0).  Over the next three seasons, Friend was a workhorse leasing the league in Games Started in the first three years and Innings Pitched in the first two.  The three-time All-Star had his most decorated season in 1958, where he led the NL in Wins (22) and finished third for the Cy Young and sixth for the MVP.  Two years later, Friend was a large part of the Pirates surprise World Series win over the New York Yankees.

Friend played for Pittsburgh until 1965, and he had quick stops with both New York teams before retiring after 1966.  He would have a losing record of 197-230 but was still highly regarded.

Despite his accomplishments, Friend was left off the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot when he was first eligible in 1972.

Watching any sports event live is one of the most exhilarating experiences for sports lovers. It can bring about the excitement that a match recording can never do justice to. 

However, for several reasons, many viewers may not be able to watch matches or other sports-related activities live. In such scenarios, live streaming sports is the best option. You can provide the audience with a live experience at their convenience and cost. 

Let’s look at a few more benefits of live streaming sports. 

1.    Audience Engagement

Live streaming sports can improve audience engagement. Although the audience may not be present physically at the sports venue, they can still get a good view of the stadium. 

For instance, you can provide a 360-degree view to the audience or offer a multiple-angle view. Thus, covering the sports event from every corner of the stadium. 

Apart from multiple angles, you can also improve audience engagement by other means. For example, live streaming allows you to stream other things, such as player interviews, training practices, and many more. 

Hence, live streaming any sports event allows you to increase audience engagement.

2.    Brand Promotion 

Brand promotion is crucial for sports organizations if they wish to stay in the public eye and keep the players relevant. 

You can market it on social media when you decide to live stream any sports event. This social media promotion provides visibility and exposure to sports organizations, as several sport enthusiasts would talk about the event on social media platforms. 

However, the sports event you’re live streaming must be available quickly to the viewers. There are specific free streaming sites like these sites, where viewers can watch sports live without much interruption or disturbance. 

3.    Expand Your Audience

Did you know that more than 150 million peopole in the US watch live sports events at least once a month in 2019? This statistic proves that you can expand your audience base significantly by live streaming sports. 

Live streaming sports provides the utmost comfort and convenience to the viewers. With the help of free sport streaming sites, viewers don’t need to pay anything to watch any sports event. All they need is an electronic device to stream the event. 

It’s also convenient for sports organizers, as they need not worry about the venue capacity. They can promote the event properly and expand the audience base by offering the option of live streaming.

4.    Better Audience Experience 

No sports lover appreciates spoilers. Now, the best part of live streaming sports is that viewers can enjoy the matches at the same time as they’re going on. 

Viewers don’t need to wait for hours to watch the event on a sports channel. This way, they can avoid running into any match-related spoilers. Thus, keeping their excitement and adrenaline rush intact provides a better audience experience. 

5.    Revenue Generation

Live streaming sports may seem like a massive blow to revenue generation. After all, it’s free for the most part. However, there are ways to generate revenue by live streaming sports, such as:

• Asking viewers to buy a subscription to your chosen live streaming platform
• Advertisements
• Pay-per-view option
• Including donation options on the live streaming page 

Hence, if you want to generate revenue by live streaming sports, it is possible too. 

6.    Cost-Effective Option 

The best part about live streaming sports events is that you can get all of the benefits mentioned above at a minimal cost. 

Apart from technical equipment, like a professional camera, you don’t require a lot to stream live sports events online. 

There are also various platforms today where you can live stream sports events. For instance, if you don’t want to live stream at a more significant level, you can always opt for social media sites, like Facebook. 

Apart from you, live streaming sports events are also affordable for most viewers. They can stream it on any device, such as a TV, phone, or tablet as long as they have a stable connection. Although, if you decide to live stream the event on a streaming service, they may have to pay the charges accordingly. 

Endnote

With the advancement of technology, it has become extremely easy to live stream sports. However, keeping its ease aside, live streaming sports events provides several other benefits to you and your viewers too. 

You can market or promote the sports event by live streaming it, and even generate revenue out of it. On the other hand, live streaming sports provide your audience with convenience, comfort, and affordability. Thus, you can easily extend your audience base. 

Barry Bonds might be one of the most controversial figures in baseball, but other than attitude, that wasn’t the story when he was a Pittsburgh Pirate.

A First Round Pick (Sixth Overall) in 1985, Barry Bonds had the pedigree of a superstar, as the son of Bobby Bonds. Bonds made it to the Pirates the following year, and began 1987 as a starter in Left.  It was evident to anyone watching the Pirates that Bonds was a rare five-tool player, though it was equally apparent that he could be a handful for those who had to deal with him.

Bonds had good years from '87 to '89, but they underwhelmed compared to what was expected of him.  This changed in 1990 when he finally made his first All-Star Game, led the NL in Slugging (.565), OPS (.970), and won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.  Bonds also won his first MVP and took the Pirates to the NLCS, a pattern that he repeated over the next two years.

The star had another great year in 1991, leading the NL in OBP (.410), with 25 Home Runs and 116 RBI, and was the runner-up for the MVP.  Bonds followed that with his best season in Western Pennsylvania, securing a second MVP with 34 HR, 103 RBI, and a league-leading 127 Walks.  Bonds also was first in the NL in OBP (.456), Slugging (.624), and OPS (1.080).  The awards continued with a third Gold Glove and third Silver Slugger.  

As great as he was, the Pirates fans and media were not enamored with Bonds, and with impending free agency, it was expected that the slugger would leave small-market Pittsburgh.

Bonds signed with San Francisco in1993, and he became the most feared offensive player, perhaps ever.  Over his tenure in Pittsburgh, Bonds smacked 176 Home Runs, 556 RBI, with a Slash Line of .275/.380/.503.  As of this writing, Bonds is the only two-time MVP in franchise history.