Ultimate Guide to Android Sports: Apps & Accessories for Fans and Players
More than at any other time, with sports it’s important to keep up with the game – this is true whether you are a spectator or participating. There are a wonderful range of apps that can help in both these ways and we’ve pulled together some great options, grouped together for easy reference.
For example there are some great news apps and RSS feeds that can keep you up to date with the latest sporting headlines, or you can opt for something more specific and make a choice about your favorite sport to follow – many of these also offer the option of narrowing it down to just your team. Add the ability of push notifications and you need never miss out on a scored goal ever again when you can’t make it to that important match.
For those of us that like to get stuck into a sport and participate though, there are probably an even greater number of fantastic apps to choose from. We’ve covered many here such as golf, surfing, fishing, sailing, cycling and even skiing. Some of them just update you on local conditions and keep score, whereas others are a bit more complex and help train you to become a better sportsperson too.
Whatever sport you prefer, our last section brings together some great apps to make your pursuit that bit more enjoyable. So what are we waiting for?
Know What’s Going On?
We begin our Android sports guide by looking at your best options for all-round great sports apps that keep you abreast of the action, on and off the field of play. Our first article is a great place to start, as we take a wander through the top ten Android sports apps to give you a flavor of what’s on offer. The Google SportTap Tracker is great for keeping up with scorelines, and Dogcatcher is an RSS feed that you can customize to show just sports news.
- Top Android Sports Apps - Something For Everyone
- Keep Track with Google SportTap Tracker
- Stay on Top of those Sports News Stories with Dogcatcher
Apps for Sports Fans
There are plenty of apps out there that are for specific sports teams, but the ones we’ve included in this sports fan section are looking at particular sports – although many of these allow you to select ‘favorites’ so your team news and league table position will be given priority for an at a glance look. The sports we look at here are football (soccer), baseball, cricket and NASCAR.
- What’s the Score? Best Android Football/ Soccer Apps
- Baseball - Best Washington Nationals Apps
- Best Android Cricket Apps
- Free Android Apps for NASCAR
Sports Participation
For letting off some steam there’s nothing like participating in your chosen sport which is where these app round-ups and reviews come in. Many of these also make strong use of your phone’s GPS feature for route planning and recording, as well as showing you how far away you are from the tee when playing golf, for example. There are apps here that help improve your performance as well as track your personal progress.
- Top Five Android Running Apps
- Best Apps for Taking Cycling Seriously
- Android Apps for Skiing and Snowboarding
- GolfCard Android App Review
- Best Golf Apps for Android Phones
Sports Participation - Water Sports
For those of you that prefer sports to take place away from dry land, there are some truly wonderful apps of quality that can come to your aid. The best apps here not only give you tips they also give you detailed information about appropriate weather conditions - tide times, swell, wind direction etc. Again many of these make good use of the GPS on your phone so you can chart your course. Don’t forget that your phone itself might need a bit of extra protection if you are venturing out on water too, so we’ve included some top round-ups of waterproof cases to keep your phone protected and dry.
- Surfing with the Android Smartphone
- Android Apps for Sailing
- Android Chartplotter Apps for Sailing and Fishing
- What is the Best Waterproof Case for the Droid X?
- Best Waterproof Cell Phone Cases
- Gone Fishing with your Android
Make Sports More Enjoyable
There are simple ways your phone can be used, that we tend to overlook when have such great apps, but even using the music player on your Android can make going running or cycling more pleasurable, as well as inspiring you to go that bit faster. There are other things you can do to make the experience more enjoyable, even if you are a sports fan rather than a player. Load up some top radio apps for sports radio, record action shots with a specialist camera app, and use sat nav and maps to find the stadium your team are playing at.
- Best Android Radio Apps - Great sports radio choices here
- Top Android Apps - Sports, Music and PIM
- Take Great Action Shots with the Action Snap App
- Find the Stadium with Offline GPS Apps
With so many great apps, it was hard to narrow it down to this selection, but I hope it’s given you a flavor of what’s available. What is more, if there is a must-have app that we’ve missed from the list, please leave a comment below.