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 3rd 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.
