dual boot to ubuntu only & sporting events

I currently have Ubuntu dual installed with Windows XP. I am nearly done transferring data such as passwords, calendar, address book, etc to the Ubuntu side in preparation of saying goodbye to Microsoft. I have backed up XP and I have copied Ubuntu (Home folder) to a portable hard drive. My intent is to reinstall Ubuntu using the entire drive and then restore the Home folder. My first question is: Am I overlooking something? My second question is: One of my reasons for delaying a full conversion to Ubuntu has been my desire to watch sporting events on the computer. Most events shown on the internet seem to require IE and Silverlight. Is there an Ubuntu solution for me? Thanks in advance for your input.