What is SportsCenter without sports?
April 10, 2020 3:09 PM Subscribe
Lights, cameras, THIS... IS… SPORTSCENTER, 10 minutes go by, all good. A producer, through Elle’s earpiece: ACC Tournament is shut down. All right, go to the college hoops guy, Rece Davis. We’re back. Producer, again: Big 12 Tournament, that’s done too. Break that. We’re going to Jeff Passan, looks like MLB is suspending operations. Back again. NHL is doing the same thing. Fuck. Thirty minutes turns into four hours, leagues dropping one by one. SportsCenter is losing the first half of its name in real time: 'What Am I Going to Do?': Inside SportsCenter on the Day We Lost Sports (Esquire)
I can believe the viewer numbers. Every bar, barbershop, and stripmall restaurant that served beer had at least one screen locked on SportsCenter. And, well, look what those places are like these days.
posted by ardgedee at 4:49 PM on April 10, 2020
posted by ardgedee at 4:49 PM on April 10, 2020
This is really interesting, thanks for sharing. Sometimes I think if I could do my life over again, I would try to do something involving video production of live broadcasts. One of my favorite things about watching televised football games was how the director could use live shots of what’s going on on the field and sidelines to create a narrative. I never really watched sports center (except at bars of course) but I love behind the scenes stories of live TV.
(I became fed up and disgusted by the NFL so I haven’t watched games in a while but I always loved thinking about all the stuff that had to happen to make this huge live video production work flawlessly week after week)
posted by capnsue at 5:22 PM on April 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
(I became fed up and disgusted by the NFL so I haven’t watched games in a while but I always loved thinking about all the stuff that had to happen to make this huge live video production work flawlessly week after week)
posted by capnsue at 5:22 PM on April 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
Looking forward to reading this. All the same, I would be delighted if there was only Jon Bois. NFL, every commentator and sideline reporter, Jon Bois. Loud check suit shouty man, Jon Bois. Brassy hot chick gritting her teeth, Jon Bois.
Game it out, people. A better world awaits.
posted by mwhybark at 6:54 PM on April 10, 2020 [4 favorites]
Game it out, people. A better world awaits.
posted by mwhybark at 6:54 PM on April 10, 2020 [4 favorites]
Deepfake technology means this utopian vision is within the grasp of every 12 year old with an intarwebs and a tablet. It is inevitable!
posted by mwhybark at 6:55 PM on April 10, 2020
posted by mwhybark at 6:55 PM on April 10, 2020
Maybe e-sports can be covered more? Or more amateur stuff? Cover Fortnight or whatever. I like the idea that they're doing sort of retrospective stuff. I could see, if they can harness that right, being something that could really keep fans tuned in. What if they were to somehow do some kind of AI empowered fantasy basketball season where games were actually assembled out of historical clips that were somehow collected and then somehow that added up into a game? I could see some real creativity coming out of this.
Or just cover the sports that can be done remotely. Chess matches, maybe? Certain e-sports. Magic: The Gathering? Like, I don't know. I'm always just sad that ESPN doesn't cover a ton of curling on any of its networks because I live below the 49th Parallel.
posted by hippybear at 7:01 PM on April 10, 2020
Or just cover the sports that can be done remotely. Chess matches, maybe? Certain e-sports. Magic: The Gathering? Like, I don't know. I'm always just sad that ESPN doesn't cover a ton of curling on any of its networks because I live below the 49th Parallel.
posted by hippybear at 7:01 PM on April 10, 2020
"It was the night of March 18th, almost a week after basketball had ceased to exist"
I'm struck by what a great opening line that would have been for a SF short story. Shades of 17776.
Probably time for some new covid-safe sports to be invented.
posted by joeyh at 8:25 PM on April 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm struck by what a great opening line that would have been for a SF short story. Shades of 17776.
Probably time for some new covid-safe sports to be invented.
posted by joeyh at 8:25 PM on April 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
Probably time for some new covid-safe sports to be invented.
We have that: track and field. Long jumpers don't go at the same time anyway, all you'd need to do is leave somewhat more time between each contestant so they don't run into each other in the dressing rooms - go, do your jumps, shower and fuck off, get the next athlete in. Repeat. Same for high jump, triple jump, pole vault, and you could also do it with all the throwing events - hammer, discus, javelin, shot put, etc. Your archers and other target shooters don't need to be in the same place at the same time. Hell, you can have your runners, at least for the shorter distances, go one at a time too (and you could do rally style staggered release for longer distances where it would take too long to wait for someone to finish eg a marathon before starting the next person). Golf could work too, as long as you abolish caddies and make the players lug their own clubs.
It's basically anything that isn't a team sport, or straight up adversarial (like tennis or fencing) that could work with only very minor tweaks.
posted by Dysk at 1:43 AM on April 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
We have that: track and field. Long jumpers don't go at the same time anyway, all you'd need to do is leave somewhat more time between each contestant so they don't run into each other in the dressing rooms - go, do your jumps, shower and fuck off, get the next athlete in. Repeat. Same for high jump, triple jump, pole vault, and you could also do it with all the throwing events - hammer, discus, javelin, shot put, etc. Your archers and other target shooters don't need to be in the same place at the same time. Hell, you can have your runners, at least for the shorter distances, go one at a time too (and you could do rally style staggered release for longer distances where it would take too long to wait for someone to finish eg a marathon before starting the next person). Golf could work too, as long as you abolish caddies and make the players lug their own clubs.
It's basically anything that isn't a team sport, or straight up adversarial (like tennis or fencing) that could work with only very minor tweaks.
posted by Dysk at 1:43 AM on April 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
I don't think the only issue is the proximity of the competitors. Everything from motor racing to darts seems to be cancelled.
posted by onya at 4:10 AM on April 11, 2020
posted by onya at 4:10 AM on April 11, 2020
But, team sports are parallelled with team fandom; even car racing is entrenched in crowds gathering to collectively gasp and applaud.
There's money in crowds; vendors rely on crowds; afterparties rely on crowds; backyard watch parties rely on gatherings; crowds mean sales of all kinds of related merchandise and foods.
posted by mightshould at 5:41 AM on April 11, 2020
There's money in crowds; vendors rely on crowds; afterparties rely on crowds; backyard watch parties rely on gatherings; crowds mean sales of all kinds of related merchandise and foods.
posted by mightshould at 5:41 AM on April 11, 2020
Probably time for some new covid-safe sports to be invented.
Obligatory XKCD.
posted by signal at 6:04 AM on April 11, 2020
Obligatory XKCD.
posted by signal at 6:04 AM on April 11, 2020
Everything from motor racing to darts seems to be cancelled.
Well motor racing is a team sport, so that's hardly surprising.
I get that it wouldn't be the same without crowds, but for most top flight sports, the vast majority of the audience is watching on television anyway. F1 - which is very much an international team sport, so hardly the easiest thing to do while social distancing - is looking at starting up without in-person audiences when they can get going again. And I bet organisations like ESPN, Sky Sports, etc. would love to have things to show, even if it's with empty grandstands in the background. And you totally could do a whole bunch of individual sports right now, with less human contact than a trip to the supermarket.
posted by Dysk at 6:13 AM on April 11, 2020
Well motor racing is a team sport, so that's hardly surprising.
I get that it wouldn't be the same without crowds, but for most top flight sports, the vast majority of the audience is watching on television anyway. F1 - which is very much an international team sport, so hardly the easiest thing to do while social distancing - is looking at starting up without in-person audiences when they can get going again. And I bet organisations like ESPN, Sky Sports, etc. would love to have things to show, even if it's with empty grandstands in the background. And you totally could do a whole bunch of individual sports right now, with less human contact than a trip to the supermarket.
posted by Dysk at 6:13 AM on April 11, 2020
I've noticed is that the local sports channels are all replaying old games, but they're playing different games in each city. The result? Every game is a win for the local team. It's great. I'm watching the Bruins win the Stanley Cup all over again, and while I know the ultimate outcome, I don't remember the details of every game, and it's still exciting. I can't help but think that watching the local team win every night is giving people just a little bit of a pick-me-up that's helping while we shelter in place.
One other thing I'll mention, regarding events without spectators. For some reason, I have a cable channel that regularly shows winter biathlon competitions. I know very little about the sport, but I've always been struck by the contrast between the physical exertion of cross-country skiing and the mental focus needed to shoot at a target. Early in the pandemic, they did at least one competition without spectators. Winter biathlon fans are not exactly a rowdy bunch, but the stands are always full, and the crowd definitely cheers when the skiers enter the arena and head down the final straight. It was eery to watch them come across the finish line in complete silence. Not bad by any means, just very strange to see.
posted by tom_r at 9:15 AM on April 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
One other thing I'll mention, regarding events without spectators. For some reason, I have a cable channel that regularly shows winter biathlon competitions. I know very little about the sport, but I've always been struck by the contrast between the physical exertion of cross-country skiing and the mental focus needed to shoot at a target. Early in the pandemic, they did at least one competition without spectators. Winter biathlon fans are not exactly a rowdy bunch, but the stands are always full, and the crowd definitely cheers when the skiers enter the arena and head down the final straight. It was eery to watch them come across the finish line in complete silence. Not bad by any means, just very strange to see.
posted by tom_r at 9:15 AM on April 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
There is still horse racing going on in some places in the U.S. (flip to any racing-news website to get a glimpse of which tracks are still in some sort of operation), but I'd put money on the sports channels not covering the races because they're horse racing.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing that racing should still be going on. I understand the arguments being made that horses still need care and feeding and exercise and that people are still going to be involved in providing both of those requirements. I also understand that fans in the stands aren't needed because wagering can still happen electronically. I'm just saying that not all professional sports are at a stand still.
posted by sardonyx at 11:04 AM on April 11, 2020
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing that racing should still be going on. I understand the arguments being made that horses still need care and feeding and exercise and that people are still going to be involved in providing both of those requirements. I also understand that fans in the stands aren't needed because wagering can still happen electronically. I'm just saying that not all professional sports are at a stand still.
posted by sardonyx at 11:04 AM on April 11, 2020
Major League Baseball wants to play the entire season in Arizona with modified rules and no spectators. (Most people seem to doubt that this could work.)
posted by mbrubeck at 11:44 AM on April 11, 2020
posted by mbrubeck at 11:44 AM on April 11, 2020
Well, Taiwan's baseball season is underway and it looks like the CBS Sports website is actually providing highlights, so maybe another possibility is broadcasting sports from other countries.
posted by FJT at 12:28 PM on April 14, 2020
posted by FJT at 12:28 PM on April 14, 2020
Darrs is doing a similar thing to what I suggested: the PDC Home Tour!
posted by Dysk at 2:13 AM on April 19, 2020
posted by Dysk at 2:13 AM on April 19, 2020
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posted by tzikeh at 4:03 PM on April 10, 2020 [6 favorites]