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College football fans criticize ABC’s broadcast of Oregon-Stanford
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Stanford entered Saturday in search of an upset victory over No. 3 Oregon that would shake up the College Football Playoff landscape. The Ducks came in at 4-0, but suffered a 31-24 overtime loss to the Cardinal in Palo Alto to see their CFP hopes all but extinguished.
But that’s not the only thing college football fans are discussing.
It’s 2021, and the way games are televised has changed and continue to change. However, the broadcast of this particular game on ABC has received some criticism as far as picture quality is concerned.
What the reason for the poor picture quality is remains unclear, but sports media expert Timothy Burke has this theory:
The entire broadcast is terrible. This is usually the telltale sign that they are broadcasting an anamorphic SD signal and upscaling it. i haven't seen a game look like this in years though https://t.co/WL4EWHSlMY
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 2, 2021
You’d think that ESPN, with the vast resources at their disposal, can work up an adequate solution, especially with a number of fans watching on mobile devices and tablets.
Here’s a sampling of some of the social media reaction from what’s been a rough afternoon out West for ESPN’s technical crew:
This production by the Pac 12 & ABC for the Oregon/Stanford game giving off major Jefferson Pilot Sports vibes. Back to 2005. #CollegeFootball
— Kutt – The Social Betting App (@KuttBet) October 2, 2021
This Oregon Stanford game is an absolute debacle. ABC using 1980 equipment, Stanford getting three jump balls in 8 secs courted of a PI call after 2 targeting calls gave them 30 yds…just unbelievable
— Cross the Stream Podcast (@CrossThe_Stream) October 2, 2021
https://twitter.com/3yearletterman/status/1444442734752841733?s=21
Why does the ABC broadcast look like I'm watching the game on the Zenith my parents had in 1980?!
— Wilhelm Scream (@PeterPutzel) October 2, 2021
Hey @ESPNCFB did we forget to send the HD cameras to the Oregon Stanford game or…?
— CarolinaDNA (@CarolinaDNA) October 2, 2021
Cool throwback look in the Oregon-Stanford game with the wide camera apparently broadcasting the game in 360p.
— The Solid Verbal College Football Podcast (@SolidVerbal) October 2, 2021
https://twitter.com/displacedsports/status/1444430054256111617?s=21
Loving the standard definition camera @ESPN decided to use for the wide shots on this Stanford vs. Oregon game, giving a nice, organic retro feel.
— David Woods (@daviddavidwoods) October 2, 2021
Everything about this Oregon/Stanford game feels like one of those mid-2000s Fox College Sports games where a top-5 team is in a battle and you aren't sure if it's real.
Poor picture quality, bad camera work, half-empty stadium, major implications!
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 2, 2021
Why does Oregon/Stanford look like it’s being filmed with circa 2005 cameras?
— Playoffs Mike⚡️? (@MikeAmmo) October 2, 2021
https://twitter.com/andrew_longhi/status/1444388978736652292?s=21
@ABCNetwork @pac12 The coverage of the Oregon v Stanford game is terrible. Blurry picture, muffled sound, camera angles?
Switched to your broadcast and thought it was 1995.— Couch Coach (@CouchCoachATL) October 2, 2021
The Cardinal improved to 3-2 on the season with their victory on Saturday and visit Arizona State on Friday. The Ducks host Cal on Oct. 15.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
