SOSC 4319
2003 - 2004

Group Project





























 

 

 

 

TV Technology: 47 Ways To Watch A Football Game

By: Jason Arcuri

 

By looking at the way in which the production and presentation of the Super Bowl has evolved over the years, it should be apparent that television technology has had a distinct effect on the game's shift towards a more entertainment-oriented theme. Though some would attribute this effect solely to the fact that technology has simply become more advanced over the years (therefore, making TV more appealing and entertaining as a whole), it is important to examine how these innovations are being created and used in the game.

Disregarding the technology of the time, the early Super Bowl games were produced as just that: a game. With a television broadcast team consisting of a few dozen people and only a handful of standard stationary cameras, the Super Bowl was presented in a way which intently focused on the action that was occurring on the field. In fact, the only deviations from the standard panoramic views of the game were set shots of players and coaches on the sidelines and of the crowd in the stands. Essentially, the reasoning behind this motive stemmed from the belief that the game (and only the game itself) was the main attraction to the viewer. However, as the Super Bowl began to grow in stature and develop a wider, more diverse television audience (which included "non-fans" of football), there became increased pressure to ensure that the game could be enjoyed by all viewers alike.

In response to this shift in ideology, it seems as though "at least on major technical innovation in television coverage has become obligatory for each Super Bowl" (Patton, 1984, p.117). With the intent of enhancing the way in the which the viewer experiences the football game, the Super Bowl has become the birthplace for such TV innovations as instant replay, telestrators, "Sky-Cams" and "Matrix Cameras", many of which have gone on to become permanent fixtures within the realm of sports broadcasting. More recently, Super Bowl audiences have also benefited from the incorporation of the internet into the game's TV broadcast, something which (by allowing viewers to participate and vote on in-game polls and the Most Valuable Player honors) has made the Super Bowl a distinctly interactive TV experience.

While all of this unfolds to the absolute delight of those who actually have an interest in the game, these innovations also make the game much more appealing to those with a more casual interest, the "non-fans". For many observers, the reason for this is that the television technology plays a significant role in enhancing the game's "entertainment value", turning it into a show similar to the ones which are broadcast on regular TV. In this case, the Super Bowl could be viewed as not just another barbaric football game, but as another version of prime-time TV entertainment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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