Hot dogs, foam hands, and soft ice cream under a plastic cap are all part of a baseball game. Men use a stick to hit a cork wrapped in twine in a field. You applaud or boo. On 스포츠티비, you can see the pitcher give one sign, then another, and then nod. You can see the curve of the curveball after he spits. Batter misses. Then there were ads.
Baseball hasn’t changed much because of TV, but it has become more personal and like a story than a summer background. The history of broadcasting for other sports is the same. Without TV, you would miss cheerleaders and end-zone dances at football games.
Sporting Events
Two days after her mother died of a heart attack, Joannie Rochette did a short program that was almost perfect. She got a bronze medal. Even though she had a sprained ankle and tendon injury, Kerri Strug won gold for the U.S. against Russia in 1996 by scoring 9.712 on her second vault. Who could forget the fight between Tonya and Nancy on the ice? A day after losing his father, Brett Favre threw for four touchdowns, 399 yards, and a 154.9 passing rating.
These great sports stories only work if we know the athletes; close-ups, commentary, and advertising help. In 2008, Morgan Freeman did tear-jerking short profiles of Olympic athletes for VISA. “Do we need this?” After her first vault, Strug questioned Karolyi. His response: “Kerri, go again! Just once more for gold, “TV shows us what players’ lives, families, and thoughts are like, which does sports as much about people as they are about scores.
The Death of the Minor Leagues
Fans had to go to games in person before TV. Many fans now stay home, eat in front of the TV, and watch the best international teams play. Leagues below the Premier League in baseball and soccer were hit hard. When will AAA? Why watch Maidstone United of the Isthmian League when you can watch Manchester United instead?
People pay more attention to the best college teams now that more games are available. Would you rather watch a game between junior colleges or Ohio State and Nebraska? College sports teams compete for fans and players. The best players are in leagues that send teams to bowls. If you were a top athlete in high school, would you go to the college in your area or sign with the Big 10, Pac 10, SEC, or Big 12?
Time Delay
We can have it all with time delay and rebroadcasting of international sports. Do you get bored with Indian cricket and soccer? The high points rock! This makes more people want to watch exciting sports. Rule changes, which we’ll talk about later, are driven by this need for excitement.
People want to watch sports live if they can, so they don’t have to wait. This means that baseball games on the East Coast go on until early October mornings so that people in the West can watch them during prime time. It means there are 16 teams in the NBA playoffs, and they go on until June. People will watch sports on TV.
Colorful
Before TV, tennis balls, NHL centerlines, and clothes were all solid colors. It was hard to see the white ball and the middle line. Who wants to see the Browns’ first outfit? TV likes to color, so the color has become the norm.
TV coverage makes the colors on the field and stadium stand out. Cheeseheads and Raiders Nation are two examples. TV shows players and fans up close instead of as chess pieces on a faraway field. Players and fans become the characters in a story about a sport. The evening’s highlight reel made people want to dance in the end zone and slam dunk.
