Television Adds 10 Pounds

MLB commissioner Bud Selig must be reclining in his plush leather office chair, feet perched proudly on his desk as he thinks about the little old league he has running in some far fetched country called Austria / Armenia / Australia. After all, its had decent press throughout the season and as the competition has headed towards its conclusion we’ve seen some hard fought victories, a playoff no hitter and to wrap up the Sydney / Adelaide Preliminary final a 15 inning barn burner that had both teams selling their souls to the baseball gods for a victory. To make things even better in Bud’s world, the final series is being televised nationally! He can definitely check  “establish an MLB out posting in a foreign country” off his things to do list while commissioner of baseball.

It’s definitely an exciting time for Australian baseball and a buzz abounds with the final series being televised. However with national exposure comes a big stage to expose both the good and the bad that our sport has to offer in a time when getting buy-in is absolutely critical to the league’s viability and growth. The Defensive Specialist thought now would be a good time to consider a number of key points as the ABL and Foxtel get ready to package this product.

Are the ABL and Foxtel showcasing or educating?

There is a big difference between slickly packaging the broadcast and allowing the game to speak for itself, or running an ‘idiots guide to baseball”. Let the Defensive Specialist flesh this one out: 

• Showcasing the game – solid and informed commentary, slick camera work, timely replays and polished production (stats and packages) – think ESPN’s Sunday night baseball.
• Educating the masses – explaining the rules of the game, increased talking, basic information. More like a teaching the session, detailing every play. 

In the Defensive Specialist’s esteemed opinion, it’s difficult to do both well which is why you see cricket broadcasts do the ‘teaching’ bit during lunch breaks or in packages rather than trying to do so during the actual game. The ABL really has a 3 game trial with Foxtel and the viewing masses so it makes sense to put a polished package together that showcases the game rather than trying to bring people up to speed with the ins and outs of baseball. You’d have to think that the vast majority of people tuning in will be baseball fans, however Foxtel and the ABL will hope to catch the attention of casual viewers who may stumble across the broadcast. Surely these people don’t want to listen to commentators drone on about ‘tagging up’ and ‘how to grip a bat’ when there is a chance to see a well produced performance of baseball.

Peering into the future, perhaps next season the league could feature a weekly highlights type show – 30 minutes of action, interviews, top plays etc that grabs viewers attention. This could be supplemented with a game of the week (which would reduce cost by limiting the number of games broadcast) and then to bring the casual fan up to speed maybe even an educational type show that zeroes in on kids (although the Defensive Specialist believes that these would be better in cut down versions inserted into some form of pregame show).

Will the commentary be up to standard?

This really ties in to the above point regarding production. The Defensive Specialist hopes and prays that the commentary can be polished and informative rather than inane and pointless conversation that we’ve seen on other occasions. We’ve seen MLB bring out US expertise to assist in running the franchises and in game day preparation and it would be great to see some influence around commentary with well informed and educated people behind the microphones. A good broadcast team includes a play-by-play announcer who provides a running overview of the game and a colour man who contributes analysis and opinion. With other American sports played in Australia, we’ve seen numerous instances where the commentary team simply couldn’t provide a professional and interest-holding dialogue for the duration of the contest.

The great thing about baseball is that it’s timeless. The worst thing about baseball from a commentary perspective is that it’s timeless! What does this mean? Well because baseball can be somewhat on the slow side, commentators have to deftly fill time without becoming a talking head that fills up the space with words. The real art is letting the game speak for itself and using the words to fill the gaps (that was almost poetic in it’s beauty!).

It’s not easy broadcasting baseball!

Think about the experience you have when you watch an MLB game on Foxtel or ESPN. Multiple camera angles, immediate tracking of the action and almost instantaneous replays provide for an outstanding experience. In order to provide a close approximation of such an experience, you’d have to think that Foxtel will require at least 5 camera’s  (1 behind the pitcher, 1 behind the hitter, 1 behind first, 1 behind 3^rd and 1 on the field). You can see right there the cost associated with broadcasting baseball games, especially across a 3 or 4 game and why it’s a big deal if the league gets more games on air in coming seasons. It will be interesting to see how inexperienced camera operators and production crews (from a baseball perspective) handle the cut and thrust of a game. Can they get the broadcast in the right place at the right time?

What about the bells and whistles?

Being the first time the ABL has gone to air, will we get slickly produced player profiles, graphics and packages? If the ABL is aiming to showcase the product then you’d hope so. Baseball fans want to see averages and statistics. In order to promote the game, pre-packaged player features can be used adroitly to add value and launch local players into the public’s consciousness. A brief pregame show would be an interesting wrinkle and allow the BAL to show case local stars or leading baseball figures in Australia. The more effort that’s put in around these types of features, the better the product will be.

At the end of the day, if the ABL and Foxtel can put together an outstanding broadcast, the game will benefit. The ABL has a small window of opportunity to promote the game on a grand stage – lets hope that they’re able to do it right so that televised games become the norm rather than a bonus.