Damn Sports Bars
 

Does anyone remember what sports looked like before the multimedia/computer bars took over the screen? I liked watching the game...rather than the overbearing and annoying flashing bars that pervade sports screens these days

I saw the subject line and thought it said sports bras. At any rate. I am pretty unimpressed with all the horseshit that my TV screen is cluttered with as well. I like the old 10 minute ticker that CBS used to use. And if it was an extraordinary play or score, I didn't mind them popping in with an update or replay of it.

Now there is the score from every game displayed damn near constantly. As if that isn't enough, there is a status bar for if there is a penalty or not, the current down and yards to go and lord knows what else they can cram on there. We don't need to see that there was a flag or be reminded what fucking down it is or even the score of the game we are watching. If we pay half assed attention to it, we should understand where the game is at.

And another thing, that damn yellow first down marker is as useless as a turd flavored Tootsie Roll.

If you've ever seen a rebroadcast of an old black and white sporting event, you'll be shocked by visual silence on display. Very little advertising, if any, and plenty of wide static camera shots. I'm not saying we should push for a complete reversal, but I find the old style much more engaging.

I can't say for sure, but I think the trend towards completely boxed in screens, full of distracting stats and animation is largely an American one. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think FOX tv's led the charge.

Do you see the same clutter on world soccer and hockey broadcasts?

Football games and baseball games seem to have alot of stats flashing on the screen all the time while hockey and soccer don't. I always thought it was because football and baseball have so many mind numbing stops in play that they need to fill airtime.
I don't mine being reminded once in a while of time left and score, but lay off the swooshing sounds and flashing graphics as the stat changes back to the game.

I suggest just a simple, non invasive static score and time display (for those of us flipping between 2 NFL games). Here's a screen of next year's Super Bowl (and what do you know, since the NFC sucked next year, the NFL decided to have the 2 best AFC teams play) with my new display system:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...16326_6376.jpg

I like the current graphic they use on MNF better than the old one, it leaves the screen pretty uncluttered and never blocks the action.

I like having some of the info up, but it is getting WAY overboard, and isn't arranged very well. The biggest fault I found with the Fox broadcast of the World Series was that the pitch count kept getting moved off the screen, or was hard to find, because of the deluge of other, less important data.

I dunno how someone can ever think the yellow first down line is useless. I hate watching games without it.

Because it is useless? The only comments I have ever heard an announcer make about the yellow line is during instant replay review and all that they can say about it is that the line is unofficial. I've seen reviews where the ball crossed the line and not be ruled a first down and I've seen them where the ball didn't cross and the first down was awarded. I don't see the use. The guys in the black and white shirts control if it is a first down or not.

amen...and Fox sports is to blame. Now they're trying to bring it into every sport they cover. Like those ads they put behind home plate in nationally televised baseball games. They wouldn't piss me off so much if I couldn't tell so easily that they were bluescreened