Sports Graphics Packages, Historically

[YELDARBfield]

The Bally RSNs have debuted a new graphics package for the NBA middle-of-the-season Tournament. Bumpers and whatnot feature the team logos on 3D gold basketballs on what I'd describe as one of those tabletop planetary movement models, like this:

(Google says this is called an orrery!)

 

Most notably, the full-width scorebug has gone into dark mode, which makes it a little more bearable IMO.

 

[The_Admiral]

On 10/15/2023 at 4:12 PM, parallaxish said:

If my hunch is right it has to do with how the font is built. Tabular numerals (i.e., the ones where the one has a line on the bottom) are monospaced, while proportional numerals (no line on the bottom of the one) have variable width. If they were to use the same proportional numerals through the whole bug, the clocks would constantly be shifting left and right because the total width of the numbers would keep changing.

 

This is where you hire a consultant to hire a consultant to tell Fox that they should just use one font with non-variable-width numerals.

[parallaxish]

PEACOCK BASKETBALL BABYYYY

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it looks great! Love how it fits in well with their Saturday night Big Ten football package, and it looks great compared to other college looks this year.

[The_Admiral]

Do lovesick morose goths keep trashing your house? You need Cure Insurance. 

[RyanMcD29]

Watching some games last night made me realize ESPN's had their current college basketball package since 2017-18 now. Man that needs to be updated (and the theme song scrapped to go back to the 2004-10 one)

[VandyDelphia Mike]

So Peacock basketball modified their college football graphics instead of borrowing from the regional networks that still NBC brand.

 

Would not mind if the style was applied to Sixers/Celtics/Bulls/Kings/Warriors RSN broadcasts.

[simtek34]

Interesting. Maybe this is supposed to be a full graphics refresh for NBC Sports. While I'm always on the side of a top/corner of the screen scorebug, I don't dislike this one. Curious if if/when it will go to the rest of NBC Sports and the local NBCSN stations, as they're still using the 2015 graphics package

[Silence of the Rams]

4 hours ago, simtek34 said:

Interesting. Maybe this is supposed to be a full graphics refresh for NBC Sports. While I'm always on the side of a top/corner of the screen scorebug, I don't dislike this one. Curious if if/when it will go to the rest of NBC Sports and the local NBCSN stations, as they're still using the 2015 graphics package

the motorsports package needs to change soon as well

[FSUViking]

When did networks start changing their graphics package in line with the Super Bowl?? Who was the first and when did it just become the norm?

 

NBC's college package is slick. 

[simtek34]

1 hour ago, FSUViking said:

When did networks start changing their graphics package in line with the Super Bowl?? Who was the first and when did it just become the norm?

 

NBC's college package is slick. 

 

CBS for Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. NBC did for the first time for Super Bowl LII in 2018, and FOX for the first time for Super Bowl LIV in 2020. Beforehand, they would just show up randomly once the preseason started every few years.

[Old School Fool]

1 hour ago, simtek34 said:

 

CBS for Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. NBC did for the first time for Super Bowl LII in 2018, and FOX for the first time for Super Bowl LIV in 2020. Beforehand, they would just show up randomly once the preseason started every few years.

 

It wasn't really new but NBC had some special fluff in 1998.

 

 

[simtek34]

On 11/9/2023 at 10:05 PM, simtek34 said:

 

CBS for Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. NBC did for the first time for Super Bowl LII in 2018, and FOX for the first time for Super Bowl LIV in 2020. Beforehand, they would just show up randomly once the preseason started every few years.

 

Update: I completely forgot, ABC Sports unveiled new graphics during Super Bowl XL in 2006. They unfortunately only lasted seven months before ABC Sports was killed off and ESPN on ABC took its place.

[Cujo]

On 11/9/2023 at 7:08 PM, FSUViking said:

When did networks start changing their graphics package in line with the Super Bowl?? Who was the first and when did it just become the norm?

 

The first major graphics overhaul I can recall for a Super Bowl was CBS for Super Bowl 26. They kept this package up until their deal with the NFL ended two years later.

 

 

[FSUViking]

Watching MNF and seeing how ESPN uses the full helmet for some graphics, I think it would be really cool if a network used the helmet as the scorebug and not just the logo. Using logos and color is so played out. 

 

ESPN does with some graphic packages, usually in studio stuff and CBS did it back in the 80's when they would go in and out of commercials. 

[Old School Fool]

52 minutes ago, FSUViking said:

Watching MNF and seeing how ESPN uses the full helmet for some graphics, I think it would be really cool if a network used the helmet as the scorebug and not just the logo. Using logos and color is so played out. 

 

ESPN does with some graphic packages, usually in studio stuff and CBS did it back in the 80's when they would go in and out of commercials. 

 

I remember ESPN use to use  helmets for it's graphics all the time for it's coverage.  However they also use to give every team a facemask back in the 80s/early 90s.

 

NFL 2K5 had helmets for it team select screen utilizing the ESPN graphics. I always loved that when cycling through the throwbacks.

 

 

[simtek34]

ESPN, ABC, and FOX has a period from the 90s to the mid-late 2000s where many parts of graphics packages, and the score bugs, would use helmet logos for teams rather than the actual primary logos. You could tell because the Vikings and Rams would have their horn, Eagles would have their wing, Bengals their stripes, and the Browns would either be an orange blob, or their helmet stripes, depending on the network or graphics package era. I feel like the Vikings, Eagles, and Rams helmet logos work much better in application for score bugs than their primary logos due, thanks to being less tall and more wide.

[TheBigFiz21]

On 11/20/2023 at 11:05 PM, simtek34 said:

ESPN, ABC, and FOX has a period from the 90s to the mid-late 2000s where many parts of graphics packages, and the score bugs, would use helmet logos for teams rather than the actual primary logos. You could tell because the Vikings and Rams would have their horn, Eagles would have their wing, Bengals their stripes, and the Browns would either be an orange blob, or their helmet stripes, depending on the network or graphics package era. I feel like the Vikings, Eagles, and Rams helmet logos work much better in application for score bugs than their primary logos due, thanks to being less tall and more wide.

This was my favorite component of Fox 2003-2006 graphics package. If they or another network would bring in a new package inspired by that or its elements of prioritizing helmet design over primary logos and abbreviations to identify teams, it'd be fun to see, especially since that would likely bring the Bears' wishbone C some of the shine it lost after the primary logo switch.

[VandyDelphia Mike]

NBC went with an offset top view of the Browns helmet in the 90s, I guess to avoid having a plain orange rectangle to represent Cleveland?

[TrueYankee26]

Even NFL on CBS used helmets in their 2003-2005 graphics package including the intros 

 

[The_Admiral]

On 11/23/2023 at 9:38 AM, VandyDelphia Mike said:

NBC went with an offset top view of the Browns helmet in the 90s, I guess to avoid having a plain orange rectangle to represent Cleveland?

 

They also used a square with the old Optima "BROWNS" set at a 45-degree angle.