Sports Graphics Packages, Historically

[simtek34]

7 hours ago, Tracy Jordan said:

Is NBA TV using a new scorebug for the playoffs? It looks really nice/clean.

It’s not new. It’s been used all season for the NBATV Broadcasts that weren’t RSN Simulcasts.

[dmmdoublem]

On 3/28/2019 at 1:14 PM, Danny said:

New look for Jays games on Sportsnet:

 

Old:

 

It looks like NESN (2018, 2019) and WGN (2018, 2019) were the only other stations to make changes to their graphics packages this season. Even then, most of the changes they made were slight.

[simtek34]

19 hours ago, dmmdoublem said:

 

It looks like NESN (2018, 2019) and WGN (2018, 2019) were the only other stations to make changes to their graphics packages this season. Even then, most of the changes they made were slight.

Well, there is still TBS coming soon, and knowing them, it will either be too big or too small...

[VandyDelphia Mike]

So, the Phillies weren't wearing retro uniforms last night, but the score bug for ESPN used that logo for the team.  Maybe to contrast from StL red?

[Silence of the Rams]

On 12/10/2017 at 5:57 PM, bwburke94 said:

The old WB Network logo certainly brings back memories, though in my case, memories unrelated to baseball.

Yes it does

 

Also maybe watch the indy 500 for that new NBC ticker

[fbjim]

Apologies if this is way too boring, but one interesting thing I've found is how American networks show soccer scores. European broadcasting convention is to show the scores this way, with them in the middle, usually separated by a hypen. I think this is because this is generally how results are written in Europe, e.g. Spain 3-3 Portugal

 

(from a UEFA U-17 match)

 

US/Canadian broadcasters (when not using the in-house graphics the leagues use) tend to do it the normal US way, though, where scores are separated and placed by the teams names on the graphics. 

 

(TSN)

ESPN (apparently MLS broadcasts still use their few-years-old package, interestingly showing the remaining substitutions)

Houston local brodacast

 

There are a few broadcasters who fully "Euro-fy" their broadcasts with the hyphenated/centered scores, though- notably the Fox regional broadcasts (which look great, albeit a bit big for soccer)

 

 

and YES

 

 

 

Finally, one interesting (well, interesting to me) note is that the first scorebug I remember the Premier League using was a US-style one with separated scores. (they also bear a bizarre relation to the original NFL on FOX scorebug)

 

Since then, the PL has used the conventional hyphenated score display, from the flashy silver design to the current modernist-flat ones. 

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by fbjim

[Tracy Jordan]

Is it just me or does anyone else miss the simplicity of the old ESPN scorebugs from the late 90's to mid 2000's?

 

 

[fbjim]

I loved those ESPN graphics. That's one reason I'm really happy at the general switch to simpler, flatter graphic design in broadcasting- it seemed like for a while people were showing off what they could do with computer graphics and on-screen displays (the worst was the first NBC SNF graphics, followed by the horrible mid-00s ESPN package) but now it's trending toward being less obtrusive to better show the on-field action. 

 

Well, apart from NBC, which still looks terrible. 

 

e) seriously, look at this.

 

Apart from it being way too big, as if a bunch of people are still watching NBC Sports on a tiny SDTV, it's just too ostentatious for soccer The thing about soccer is that the scorebug should be unobtrusive- scores are comparatively rare in soccer, and there's not any constant information updates (like down/distance in football) that need to be relayed to the viewer every few moments. The scorebug in soccer is something you glance at every few minutes to get the time, it shouldn't be this big and flashy. (For a long time, soccer frequently used the old NBA on NBC method of only updating after a score, and every five minutes or so)

 

Compare the size and lack of flashiness (other than the hip color scheme) of the in-house PL graphics

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by fbjim

[fbjim]

Incidentally, if you want to see some totally nutso graphics, click this video for the Eredivisie (Dutch league) graphics - first of all, *that* font for the "J" in Ajax's 'AJA' abbreviation, and the general bizarre look to everything. Something about it is just so *dutch*, which is perfect.

 

Here's a stenciled look for the DFB-Pokal (German domestic cup) which also struck me as rather German, despite the lack of blackletter or Bauhaus

 

Serie A, similarly has a font and elegant look that's just perfect for Italy. I absolutely love it when leagues use nationally-appropriate designs like this.

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by fbjim

[TrueYankee26]

6 hours ago, fbjim said:

Incidentally, if you want to see some totally nutso graphics, click this video for the Eredivisie (Dutch league) graphics - first of all, *that* font for the "J" in Ajax's 'AJA' abbreviation, and the general bizarre look to everything. Something about it is just so *dutch*, which is perfect.

 

Here's a stenciled look for the DFB-Pokal (German domestic cup) which also struck me as rather German, despite the lack of blackletter or Bauhaus

 

Serie A, similarly has a font and elegant look that's just perfect for Italy. I absolutely love it when leagues use nationally-appropriate designs like this.

 

Hidden italian flag colors under the score in the Serie A one. That is nice.

[CreamSoda]

NBCSN has different graphics for the score on commercial exits.   Wonder when they update the whole package. 

[fbjim]

Speaking of soccer scorebugs and the lack of information that needs to be relayed to the viewer in soccer, I've always loved baseball and cricket scorebugs for the exact opposite reason- they have a *massive* amount of information that they tend to want to show the viewer these days. Back in the day you could get by just showing the count every pitch or so, but now in baseball you need the baserunners, pitcher/batter names, pitch count, batter's average, etc.

 

 

It doesn't look too bad but that really is an impressive amount of information in a tiny window.

 

Meanwhile there's cricket, and honestly, if you're a nerd for sports graphics, and especially sports graphics which try to show you a massive amount of information, you should watch cricket, because, I mean,

 

 

(I wish we could find someone who didn't know anything about either sport, just to ask which one is more confusing for someone who doesn't know any of the rules)

[Mr. Krabs]

1 hour ago, CreamSoda said:

NBCSN has different graphics for the score on commercial exits.   Wonder when they update the whole package. 

I've been asking this question all season. It should come in October.

[CreamSoda]

10 hours ago, Mr. Krabs said:

I've been asking this question all season. It should come in October.

 

Its different from the Conference Semis.   

[RyanMcD29]

13 hours ago, CreamSoda said:

NBCSN has different graphics for the score on commercial exits.   Wonder when they update the whole package. 

Although they pulled this off with a (separate) Wednesday Night Hockey package going to commercial and still keeping everything intact, this looks like a really big revamp with everything but the scorebug. I have a feeling with the Stanley Cup Final starting the same weekend as their first Indy 500 and the Premier League season all wrapped up, NBC finally pulls the trigger on the rest of the set

 

 

[dmmdoublem]

I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I like the current MLS score bug quite a bit. It reminds me of the 2003 NFL on FOX look, which I've always been a big fan of. Something about the slanted lines appeal to me, I guess.

 

[fbjim]

I don't think that bug is used very often because generally in the US the broadcaster uses their own score graphics. It's pretty good but I don't think it fits the MLS "look" with their logo too well. The only time I've actually seen it is in MLS's YouTube highlight reels. 

 

That mid-00s Fox look was really good btw, especially that bit in 2006 when they went chrome with it for one year. Probably my favorite look from when everyone was using top banners for scorebugs. That whole early-mid00s period was great, all up to when ESPN moved to their package where everything was animated and 3D, which is maybe my least favorite graphics package used by a major network ever. 

 

more soccer graphics - the Scottish Premiership graphics have a really, really unique way of showing the elapsed time that I've never seen anywhere else.

 

[Silence of the Rams]

On 5/9/2019 at 5:37 PM, CreamSoda said:

NBCSN has different graphics for the score on commercial exits.   Wonder when they update the whole package. 

May 26th. Watch the Indy 500

[fouhy12]

On 5/9/2019 at 10:04 PM, fbjim said:

Meanwhile there's cricket, and honestly, if you're a nerd for sports graphics, and especially sports graphics which try to show you a massive amount of information, you should watch cricket, because, I mean,

 

 

(I wish we could find someone who didn't know anything about either sport, just to ask which one is more confusing for someone who doesn't know any of the rules)

As someone that knows absolutely nothing about cricket, I am thoroughly confused looking at that. I'm not even sure where the score is. 

[Kramerica Industries]

On 5/8/2019 at 6:47 PM, Tracy Jordan said:

Is it just me or does anyone else miss the simplicity of the old ESPN scorebugs from the late 90's to mid 2000's?

 

The ESPN graphics package from ~2004-2006 was always my personal favorite as well.