3 Of The Best Apple Watch Apps For Keeping Up With Your Favorite Sports Teams

If you're a sports fan, you likely follow your teams across a range of media sources, watching games and news on TV, listening on the radio, checking scores and follow stories on the Internet, and perhaps reading about them in the paper or magazines. A number of these things can also be done on a mobile device. But an unexpected way to keep up with your favorite teams and players is by using iOS apps for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

The best apps for Apple Watch will give you the latest scores and provide you news about your team, and in tandem with another iOS device, you can see highlights and more in-depth stories if you have the time. Still, whether it's during your commute or when you're at the gym, being able to get sports scores and updates on your wrist is incredibly convenient.

Also, don't forget you can get updates via the Siri watch face and customize it to the teams you follow by using the Watch app and the Apple TV app on your iPhone.

ESPN needs no introduction, and the ESPN: Live Sports app is already a staple on most sports fans' devices. The Apple Watch version offers a useful interface that lets you swipe to get to all the information you want on the go. Then once you're at home or sitting on the train or bus during your commute, you can switch over to your iPhone or iPad and watch highlights and read full stories.

The Apple Watch lets you view live scores for whatever games you're tracking. It also offers shorter news stories so you can get the latest headlines about your favorite teams. It's important to note that in order to get your team's scores on the Apple Watch, you'll need to jump on the app on your iPhone first to save your favorites, then the Apple Watch will conveniently display scores from those teams. One drawback is that the app doesn't let you customize any complications (on-screen accesories that show up when lift your wrist), but it's still handy for getting the latest scores and headlines.

Sports Alerts has an Apple Watch app that gives you scores and stats for many different sports. Unlike ESPN's, here you can customize complications to have just the info you want on the app's watch face. Once it's set up, you can check out your favorite team's scores and stats and then, when you get some phone time, you can watch game highlights on the iOS app. It also has full team schedules so you'll always know when the next big game is coming. You also can build your own team if you're a fantasy football fan and track stats to see how your group is doing from your watch.

What's especially unique about this app is its alert system and the amount of customization it has. It can send you an alert for just about anything, and you can assign different sports-like sounds and whistles to notify you. This means, for example, you could set it to alert you whenever your favorite NFL receiver scores a touchdown or when your favorite quarterback throws for over 300 yards. This is not just for football either; it's all sports. Another thing you can do in the app is customize what is shown in the app icon badge (think of looking at the Messages icon when you have 2 unread messages and it has a 2 in a tiny red circle). You could, for example, show how many points Steph Curry has and you don't even have to open the app.

The only drawback to Sports Alerts is that the watch interface can feel a little crowded with all the information. Still, if you'd like to have all the stats on your wrist with specific alert sounds for various sports milestones, check this app out.

With theScore app for Apple Watch, you get real-time updates for your top teams on your wrist. It will show you scores and stats from both pro and college football, basketball, baseball, soccer, Nascar, lacrosse, mixed martial arts, and more. It's probably why this app is so popular: It's got a little of everything. Plus, along with top level scores, you can just tap the score to see both teams' individual stats in a box score format.

Another thing theScore does well once you have some phone time is update you with the latest news and headlines and it also gives thorough fantasy team analysis. It even offers a chat system so you can talk with other people watching the games or anyone interested in the various leagues across all sports.

To set it all up, you just go into the iOS app, pick your favorite teams from every sport you follow, then away you go. Now you're Apple Watch serves up all the sports info you need with even more on the iOS app.