Sports is one of those things that falls into both categories; the basics are still there—two sides compete, one side wins, the other loses—but sometimes it seems as if that's about the only thing that's stayed the same. And not only have the games changes, so has the way in which they're shown on television. Today's example is this rare color excerpt from a 1965 game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs, telecast on WGN from Wrigley Field in Chicago. About an hour of this game still exists, including, fortunately, the finish, and it shouldn't take you too long to figure out the significance of the game.
I'm not going to ruin the suspense for you, though, so as you watch the broadcast, notice how different things are: not only the uniforms and the style of play, but the number of cameras used and the angles, the graphics (or lack of same), and the style of announcing, courtesy of two of the best around, Cubs legend Jack Brickhouse (pictured above) and famed voice of the Chicago Black Hawks, Lloyd Pettit. Contrast it with what you're apt to see on a given broadcast today, and see what you think.
One thing I always find fascinating in any 1960s baseball telecasts are what the fans are wearing. Obviously these games are way, way before team apparel took hold for fans, but I recall seeing men in suits and ties and women all dressed up too in World Series telecasts from those days. And it seemed like everyone was smoking too. Different times for sure.
ReplyDeleteMen's white shirts used to be a real problem for the batters if the ballpark didn't have a hitter's background. Easy to lose the ball in the shirts. I don't know that I'd have wanted to wear a suit to a ballgame (although I have, when I've come from work), but it is nice to see people treat it like a night out.
DeleteIt seems that cameras are further away from the field than they used to be, especially noticable on plays in the infield. This is true of all sports, but maybe even moreso with football and hockey(when the defunct Outdoor Life Network carried games in 2005, the cameras were zoomed in so far, that fan complaints forced them to zoom out within a few days.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about that - watching some of the Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts from the 1960s, it's remarkable how much closer to the action things were than before. Cynically, one could say, at least in the case of hockey, that the cameras are further back in order to pick up all the ads on the boards and the ice. . .
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