This past weekend, I watched live team sports from my own country. It’s been a weird few months without them.
While nothing is certain right now, with a Republican leadership still waging an insane war against science, it felt good to watch my Wizards and my Islanders play again. I’d like to include my Nationals in that, but ya know, baseball is stupid, Rob Manfred is an idiot, and they won the World Series last year anyway.
But the return of live sports means that I no longer have to watch reruns of classic games. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. Between the classic games being aired on sports channels and the seemingly endless array of classic games and highlights available on YouTube, the past few months turned into something of a history lesson for me.
I rewatched some games I had forgotten about or simply wanted to relive. Heck, on Sunday morning during the British Grand Prix, I found myself again watching the 2000 Holiday Bowl between Texas and Oregon on ESPNU. That remains one of my favorite bowl games ever. I was able to watch games from the 70’s that I never watched or games from the 80’s that I was too young to remember. Boy, New Year’s Day in the 1980s was something else, wasn’t it?
So as I return to 2020 sports, there’s some things I’ve learned that maybe those in charge today should learn as well…
Instant Replay Is Great, But Instant Replay Currently Sucks
The most obvious thing I learned from watching old sports is how weird it was to not have instant replay. Especially in football, almost every old game had at least one or two obvious moments that an instant replay would’ve cleared up in about 10 seconds. And the announcers at the time would say that!
The best example I can give comes from the 2001 Fiesta Bowl when Oregon State boat raced Notre Dame. In my head, that game a thorough beatdown and Notre Dame was never in the game. While Oregon State was undoubtedly the better that night, two of their first three touchdowns would have been overturned in about 30 seconds.
On the first, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson scored on a long touchdown, except that he dropped the ball at the one yard line before going in. This wasn’t even one of those “the ball was loose as he crossed the goal line” mistakes either. The ball landed in the field of play! The announcers were rightly apologetic about the missed call, but it was essentially “tough luck” for the Irish.
Oregon State’s third touchdown came on a fumble recovery when they returned a punt and the returner “fumbled” the ball which was picked up by another player, who ran it another 50 yards for a touchdown. No one on the Notre Dame team reacted because they all thought the returner’s knee was down. Because it was! He was tackled, rolled over, and then the ball popped loose. Two bad calls, two touchdowns, and an end result that felt a lot different 20 years later.
So of course, the NBA returned to the court on Thursday and the end of game scenarios were quickly ruined with lengthy reviews about everything. When instant replay first came to pro sports, there was a set time limit that nothing would last more than 60 seconds. The adage was, “if you can’t figure it out in a minute, call on the field stands.”
If there’s one thing these old games taught me, it’s that sports leagues need to speed up instant replays. Use it for clear and obvious errors. Minor stuff? Let it slide. If it’s too close to call, you pay the refs for a reason, let the call stand and let’s play.
College Players with Majors
As I’m writing this, Pac-12 and Big Ten football players have made a very public statement about their rights as human beings and student-athletes. Student-athlete is a funny word, no? Because for the past 20 years, that “student” part has been reduced further and further as more old white men chase million dollar contracts on the back of unpaid labor.
While money has always ruled college sports, it wasn’t always so obvious. Nothing warmed my heart more than seeing each player in a starting lineup listed with their major. When did that stop? Why did that stop? They are still at college to get a degree, no?
A Much Cleaner View of the Game
Fox’s addition of the scorebug on the screen during sporting events completely changed sports for the better, especially for those of us switching between games. Seeing an old game without one reminded me how frustrating it would be to watch a game for several minutes before figuring out what the score was. What a glorious innovation.
For many years after, that was the only thing on the screen and it didn’t distract from the action. Now, there’s constantly stuff up on the screen that obscures your view of the game you’re trying to watch. Whether it’s an endless barrage of fantasy stats during NFL or myriad random stats on screen during MLB, the game is getting smaller and smaller. ESPN has been even showing announcers talking as the game is going on, especially with baseball. Why?!?
Just give me sports. You pay announcers to tell me everything that isn’t the time and score.
Announcers Let Moments Breath (Joe Buck Sucks)
Watching an old football game called by Pat Summerall or Keith Jackson is like a refreshing glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. The moments of the game breathe, and their few words punctuate them with such great clarity. Vince Young’s iconic touchdown run didn’t need a soliloquy. It needed, “Vince Young...corner….touchdown! (crowd cheering)"
The closer the “classic” game got to 2020, the more the announcer talked. Nowhere is this more evident in baseball and the worst announcer in sports, Joe Buck, who is apparently paid by the word. Why won’t he shut up? It’s not only him, of course, as every baseball announcer for the past 20 years talks and talks and talks as if 30 seconds of silence would end their lives.
I don’t know how or why that became a thing, but it needs to end. Of the new, top-level announcers - discounting legends like JIm Nantz and Al Michaels - only Chris Fowler has really mastered the ability to shut up when needed. That might be the reason ESPN is so hot to get him to Monday Night Football, and why college football fans would hate to lose him and Herbie.
I Miss Grass
Hot take: baseball and football games are better on grass than the fake stuff.
Even the newer turf doesn’t have the same feel or vibe than grass did. I know, this is really insightful stuff that no one has said before. But when you watch so many classic games on grass, and see the stains, it reminds you sports are a kids game, and it was better when we remembered that.
Only Special Guests in the Booth
It feels like every game today has multiple special guests in the booth. ESPN and Fox have gone completely overboard with inviting any and all celebrities to chat about whatever they need to pitch to keep corporate synergy going. Even a pandemic hasn't slowed that down, with guests now being video-chatted into games where it’s completely unnecessary.
The weird thing is how a special guest 20 to 30 years ago was such a big deal. It was John Lennon on Monday Night Football. It was Joe Namath during an Orange Bowl with Alabama playing against Michigan and some kid named Tom Brady. I’m not necessarily against guests in the booth, but let’s keep it to one a game and make sure that person is worthy.
How Did We Watch Hockey Before HD?
NHL Network aired a lot of classic games during the league's break, particularly of Stanley Cup clinching games. While I expected games from the 70s and 80s to look terrible, how the heck did we follow the puck even through the 90s and 2000s?
I tried to watch the Stars’ Cup-clinching game vs the Sabres from 1999, as I remember sitting in my parents’ basement absolutely glued to the screen because I loved Dominik Hasek so much. Watching the game in 2020 gave me a headache. Where’s the puck? What am I watching? How is it so blurry?
HD televisions have been a godsend for the NHL, but I better understand why Fox tried its ill-fated glowing puck. Speaking of innovation…
The First Down Line is TV’s Only Great Sports Innovation
Watching a football game without an on-screen first down line is bizarre. The announcers never know if it’s a first down when it’s close, and neither did the viewer at home. Sure, it made first-down measurements a lot more exciting, but I much prefer the line on the screen. I wonder how that hasn’t been added electronically on the field of play for players.
Everything else? Terrible and annoying. The glowing puck sucked. The on-screen strike zone does nothing for me, except prove umpires are unnecessary. Even football has ruined the first down line by adding the line of scrimmage (who cares?) and a line for field goal range (beyond parody).
It was arguably my biggest takeaway from watching so many classic sports games. In the past few decades, the only things that have improved TV coverage are the scorebug and the first down line. Everything else has detracted from it, up to and including announcers who won’t shut up.
I implore those in charge of sports coverage to remember one very important lesson: less is more.
While nothing is certain right now, with a Republican leadership still waging an insane war against science, it felt good to watch my Wizards and my Islanders play again. I’d like to include my Nationals in that, but ya know, baseball is stupid, Rob Manfred is an idiot, and they won the World Series last year anyway.
I rewatched some games I had forgotten about or simply wanted to relive. Heck, on Sunday morning during the British Grand Prix, I found myself again watching the 2000 Holiday Bowl between Texas and Oregon on ESPNU. That remains one of my favorite bowl games ever. I was able to watch games from the 70’s that I never watched or games from the 80’s that I was too young to remember. Boy, New Year’s Day in the 1980s was something else, wasn’t it?
So as I return to 2020 sports, there’s some things I’ve learned that maybe those in charge today should learn as well…
Instant Replay Is Great, But Instant Replay Currently Sucks
The most obvious thing I learned from watching old sports is how weird it was to not have instant replay. Especially in football, almost every old game had at least one or two obvious moments that an instant replay would’ve cleared up in about 10 seconds. And the announcers at the time would say that!
The best example I can give comes from the 2001 Fiesta Bowl when Oregon State boat raced Notre Dame. In my head, that game a thorough beatdown and Notre Dame was never in the game. While Oregon State was undoubtedly the better that night, two of their first three touchdowns would have been overturned in about 30 seconds.
Oregon State’s third touchdown came on a fumble recovery when they returned a punt and the returner “fumbled” the ball which was picked up by another player, who ran it another 50 yards for a touchdown. No one on the Notre Dame team reacted because they all thought the returner’s knee was down. Because it was! He was tackled, rolled over, and then the ball popped loose. Two bad calls, two touchdowns, and an end result that felt a lot different 20 years later.
So of course, the NBA returned to the court on Thursday and the end of game scenarios were quickly ruined with lengthy reviews about everything. When instant replay first came to pro sports, there was a set time limit that nothing would last more than 60 seconds. The adage was, “if you can’t figure it out in a minute, call on the field stands.”
If there’s one thing these old games taught me, it’s that sports leagues need to speed up instant replays. Use it for clear and obvious errors. Minor stuff? Let it slide. If it’s too close to call, you pay the refs for a reason, let the call stand and let’s play.
College Players with Majors
As I’m writing this, Pac-12 and Big Ten football players have made a very public statement about their rights as human beings and student-athletes. Student-athlete is a funny word, no? Because for the past 20 years, that “student” part has been reduced further and further as more old white men chase million dollar contracts on the back of unpaid labor.
While money has always ruled college sports, it wasn’t always so obvious. Nothing warmed my heart more than seeing each player in a starting lineup listed with their major. When did that stop? Why did that stop? They are still at college to get a degree, no?
A Much Cleaner View of the Game
Fox’s addition of the scorebug on the screen during sporting events completely changed sports for the better, especially for those of us switching between games. Seeing an old game without one reminded me how frustrating it would be to watch a game for several minutes before figuring out what the score was. What a glorious innovation.
For many years after, that was the only thing on the screen and it didn’t distract from the action. Now, there’s constantly stuff up on the screen that obscures your view of the game you’re trying to watch. Whether it’s an endless barrage of fantasy stats during NFL or myriad random stats on screen during MLB, the game is getting smaller and smaller. ESPN has been even showing announcers talking as the game is going on, especially with baseball. Why?!?
Just give me sports. You pay announcers to tell me everything that isn’t the time and score.
Announcers Let Moments Breath (Joe Buck Sucks)
Watching an old football game called by Pat Summerall or Keith Jackson is like a refreshing glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. The moments of the game breathe, and their few words punctuate them with such great clarity. Vince Young’s iconic touchdown run didn’t need a soliloquy. It needed, “Vince Young...corner….touchdown! (crowd cheering)"
I don’t know how or why that became a thing, but it needs to end. Of the new, top-level announcers - discounting legends like JIm Nantz and Al Michaels - only Chris Fowler has really mastered the ability to shut up when needed. That might be the reason ESPN is so hot to get him to Monday Night Football, and why college football fans would hate to lose him and Herbie.
I Miss Grass
Hot take: baseball and football games are better on grass than the fake stuff.
Even the newer turf doesn’t have the same feel or vibe than grass did. I know, this is really insightful stuff that no one has said before. But when you watch so many classic games on grass, and see the stains, it reminds you sports are a kids game, and it was better when we remembered that.
Only Special Guests in the Booth
It feels like every game today has multiple special guests in the booth. ESPN and Fox have gone completely overboard with inviting any and all celebrities to chat about whatever they need to pitch to keep corporate synergy going. Even a pandemic hasn't slowed that down, with guests now being video-chatted into games where it’s completely unnecessary.
The weird thing is how a special guest 20 to 30 years ago was such a big deal. It was John Lennon on Monday Night Football. It was Joe Namath during an Orange Bowl with Alabama playing against Michigan and some kid named Tom Brady. I’m not necessarily against guests in the booth, but let’s keep it to one a game and make sure that person is worthy.
How Did We Watch Hockey Before HD?
NHL Network aired a lot of classic games during the league's break, particularly of Stanley Cup clinching games. While I expected games from the 70s and 80s to look terrible, how the heck did we follow the puck even through the 90s and 2000s?
I tried to watch the Stars’ Cup-clinching game vs the Sabres from 1999, as I remember sitting in my parents’ basement absolutely glued to the screen because I loved Dominik Hasek so much. Watching the game in 2020 gave me a headache. Where’s the puck? What am I watching? How is it so blurry?
HD televisions have been a godsend for the NHL, but I better understand why Fox tried its ill-fated glowing puck. Speaking of innovation…
Watching a football game without an on-screen first down line is bizarre. The announcers never know if it’s a first down when it’s close, and neither did the viewer at home. Sure, it made first-down measurements a lot more exciting, but I much prefer the line on the screen. I wonder how that hasn’t been added electronically on the field of play for players.
Everything else? Terrible and annoying. The glowing puck sucked. The on-screen strike zone does nothing for me, except prove umpires are unnecessary. Even football has ruined the first down line by adding the line of scrimmage (who cares?) and a line for field goal range (beyond parody).
It was arguably my biggest takeaway from watching so many classic sports games. In the past few decades, the only things that have improved TV coverage are the scorebug and the first down line. Everything else has detracted from it, up to and including announcers who won’t shut up.
I implore those in charge of sports coverage to remember one very important lesson: less is more.
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