The America East Wrap Up Show Is An Epic Fail
Boom Goes The Student Sportscast: America East Report Is Uncomfortable, Hilarious - Deadspin
***Update - As you can probably see, the Youtube video is down (big surprise there). That's not cool. So, I feel obliged to share with you Deadspin's update featuring a less than happy response from Brendan Marshall, one of the "stars" of the clip. I have to say, I've never seen someone tell Deadspin and Stony Brook to F*#k off in the same Tweet, so congrats Brendan! (H/T @KevinTConnor)
I believe the "foxbox" was preceded by a similar "box" in soccer broadcasts. Specifically the 1994 world cup which came before the NFL season. While I agree it correctly is number 1, I don't think Fox came up with the idea.
-Also, didn't NBC do an entire Jordan-era Bulls game with a "sideline camera" similar to the moving "eye-level" cameras used to cover speedskating at the winter olympics?
To add a little humor, as a kid watching Monday Night Football, I would say the greatest innovation was the volume control on the tv so I didn't have to listen to Howard Cosell.
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When I was a kid, I used to say to my Dad "I wish we could watch any game we wanted" when we got stuck with a worthless AFC game when the Eagles were not on. Of course, in my view, NFL Sunday Ticket is # 1 by far for me. Then, after getting Sunday Ticket, and when the Eagles weren't on, I would flip through the games and stop on one where a team was close to scoring. Thus, of course, Red Zone Channel is # 2 best innovation in my view.
When I watch the old games on the NFL Network, I realize how much I love the yellow first down line.
I know it sucked, and I knew as soon as I saw the headline to the Fox Glow Puck be # 1, but I think Fox shouldn't be forever killed for trying to answer the top complaint of people that would not watch hockey on TV because they "couldn't follow the puck.". People need to remember why it was done in the first place, and that it had a purpose in drawing in more viewers by addressing their concerns. I don't think anyone was saying before " you know, if I could see Erin Andres rack 5 or 6 times a game, I'd happily listen to her tell me how the coach of the team behind in the game said to her the need to find a way to get their team back in the ball game while the coach of the team that was winning told her they needed to keep playing their game and not allowing the other team to get back into the game.
@BrIan_Boombots FOX was first on both lists, and in light of that, it's respectable that they experiment. I don't think the Glow Puck was really a bad idea, it just turned off a lot of actual hockey fans.
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Amen brotha ... Who Dat in Seattle ... LOVE Sunday Ticket - Now hate the Seachickens.
I was watching a Syracuse basketball broadcast recently, where ESPN's best team of McDonough/Raftery/Bilas called the game from three different points around the court. There were a couple "I saw that, it was right in front of me!" moments from Raftery and Bilas that gave a much better feel for the game. Brand new innovation, only saw it once, but it was pretty special.
@UllrBugaj unfortunately I didn't get to see that game and in researching there wasn't much opinion on that experiment vs skycam and others which were panned, thanks for the comment
I have to say, your #1 and #2 best innovations--the Fox Box and the Yellow Line--basically are designed to help casual fans and viewers who either don't know the rules or who aren't really paying attention to the game. For me it's just screen clutter and I wish I could turn them off.
@Frigidevil @Cornfields Re: FOX Box, keep in mind that the network is also aware of the overall changes in the average TV viewer, most importantly that you have a thousand other things you could be watching. Even the most hardcore of sports fans is probably watching multiple games. If you appreciate Sunday Ticket or the RedZone Channel, then how can you hate on the FOX Box? Gives you the ability to quickly take in a snapshot of the action if you are watching multiple programs or games.
@Shiner @Frigidevil The volume button doesn't help with the Fox Box.
Actually this fall for some NFL games I was able to keep the sound, but turn off the announcers, by filtering out one of the audio channels. It happened accidently, but it was beautiful. I was amazed at how much sound from the game is actually broadcast, but buried beneath the yapping.
@Frigidevil @Cornfields "I really hope one day we're able to turn those features on and off, as well as the announcers". It's called the volume button.
@Cornfields The Fox Box has always been art of my viewing experience, but I can see why you'd want to get rid of it. The old games from the 70s and 80s on espn classic are pretty cool without any of the add ons. I really hope one day we're able to turn those features on and off, as well as the announcers. I'd buy a baseball channel without announcers in a heartbeat.
You could also look at the FOX Box as a kind of gateway drug: useful in its own way, but it soon brought with it endless and less useful advertising which conspicuously clutters every FOX broadcasting screen (and increasingly the screens of other stations).
These innovation-reminders also enable a broadcasting style which takes us too often away from the action. FOX reminds of us of the first down marker and who's on base, because of the endless commercials, the slower pace of contemporary baseball which is consciously designed to provide a setting for such commercials, and so that they can cut away from the action for various advertising moments, either in the booth, in the stands, or through video. Even when we don't channel surf, watching ESPN and FOX in particular can feel like channel surfing, because they are always taking us away from the action.
It's interesting to note that the glowing puck and the first down yellow line uses the same technology. So as corny as the glowing puck was, at least it paved the way for something usefull.
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What about FOX trying to play music throught NFL games this season? I think that deserves to be the #1 worst idea!
@brewcrew23mt excellent thought, we mentioned that in a post earlier this year, worthy of 5A!
Wow maybe I'm too young, but I thought the glowing puck was just a way to show you where the puck was against the boards. I will say though, the Fox robots made me love hockey as a kid. They are cheesy as hell, but it lightened up the mood for each game and I miss them.
@Frigidevil i saw that old clip and immediately thought of the robots too! the Fox robots were much friendlier back in the day than they are now!
Since when is Poker a sport? I think broadcasting Poker should be one of the worst sports innovations, if you can even call it a sport.
@PeterJohnson It got huge and people loved watching it in the early 2000s. Without the hole-cams, the game would never have become as monstrous as it is today.
In the summer of 1994, before the appearance of the Fox Box, ESPN used a continuous scoreboard for its World Cup Soccer coverage. They actually used to get advertisement money, where advertisers like Nike and Budweiser could attach their logo to the graphic, since commercials were limited.
Glow Puck was the precursor to The Yellow 1st & 10 line, look it up, so I don't think it deserves the fate of worst Broadcasting Innovations.
Just to set the record straight, the ESPN "Skycam" was not a Skycam like you would see at a football game that travels the length of the field. It was a robotic camera mounted under the speakers at midcourt.
Erin Andrews and Lisa Salters are "good" sideline reporters? Are you kidding me? What makes ERin good other than being hot to look at? When was the last time she broke a story or didnt just report the obvious? She is pure eye candy fr the frat set! Lisa is so good that she no longer does college football! There should be two categories, reporters and sideline eye candy! Holly Rowe is twice the reporter Erin is and gets no credit because she isnt smoking hot! Todd Harris was very good but seems to have moved on to full scale play by play calling. Lets be honest- we like hot girls on the sideline. I am ok with that but do not try saying that some of them are "good" reporters! The tape dont lie!
