ESPN just took another big step when it comes to how viewers watch games. On Christmas Day when the Los Angeles Lakers were taking on the Los Angeles Clippers, the four-letter network revealed a new camera angle that gave viewers a diagonal view of the court, which is something similar to what is shown on NBA video games. ESPN shared the look on Twitter and was excited about it. However, viewers had mixed feelings about the new look.
“I think an offset angle like NBA Live gives the best sense of spacing,” wrote one fan. “I’ve seen TV use it a few times. The sideline cam makes it very hard to see the depth of players.”
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“Can you folks tie cameras to the players heads so we can see what’s goin on and recommend passes and what not” another fan wrote.
This new camera angle though 👀🎥 pic.twitter.com/Q2e8FGUmKK
— ESPN (@espn) December 26, 2019
The zoomed in 2K Broadcast Cam? https://t.co/aKd45MuCCQ
— Daniel Todd (@AntiBizle) December 26, 2019
Yipes! I feel like a drunk bird with this view. Haha! https://t.co/Nb9PEZgoms
— LaLa (@NomadicNative) December 26, 2019
“I hope [NBA on TNT] gets all playoff and finals games,” another fan added. “ESPN ruining the game with this camera angle. Put an end to it [NBA].”
“Stop tweeting like you’re an 18-year-old and focus on presenting the game in a more productive fashion. Thanks.”
The sky cam is cool for basketball and football. Y’all folks just hate any change. Feels like you’re watching the game at the gym https://t.co/QHA9OphmKh
— Jabari Knight (@Juhbary_K) December 26, 2019
I actually dig this angle. for the average person that does not watch basketball or understand the level of play at the professional level, you notice a lot of little things, like how much quicker players are https://t.co/CRLEl4O89z
— Paul Austria (@paulaustria_) December 26, 2019
Phil Rosenthal, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, ripped ESPN for experimenting with the new camera angle.
“The floating camera gimmick offered a perspective that could be useful for some replays if there were something specific to be said about off-ball movement, but it in no way enhanced the live coverage,” he wrote. “It’s worth noting NBC tried a similar sideline camera on some football coverage this year and was similarly panned and ESPN even had dabbled with it a bit, so it’s not as though it didn’t know what it was getting into.”
It’s not known if ESPN will use the camera angle again for a future NBA game.
