ESPN scorebug includes neat feature on NFL Network UFL broadcast

There have probably been times when you’ve watched a sports broadcast and wanted to know the names of the announcers. A feature on Thursday night’s NFL Network broadcast of a UFL game between the Louisville Kings and Houston Gamblers provided that answer to viewers throughout the game.

The Sports TV News & Updates account on X astutely noted that there was a feature on the scorebug showing which announcer was speaking.

Play-by-play announcer Lowell Galindo and analysts Kirk Morrison, Aaron Murray, and Eric Mac Lain had the call for NFL Network.

And whenever any of them spoke, the ESPN scorebug (as the NFL Network is now owned and operated by ESPN) made it clear who was talking, right below the game score. The speaking announcer’s name would light up, with an audio symbol alongside it.

Additionally, the same tactic was used when in-helmet audio from a coach or player was heard on the broadcast.

While the quality of football and entertainment value have frequently been debated, the UFL (and the XFL from 2020-23) have undoubtedly led to innovation both in terms of rules on the field and features on television broadcasts. And this is certainly an intriguing addition to the latter.

For this particular broadcast, it’s a very helpful feature for the viewer with four different voices speaking. Now, that won’t be a normal thing, with the typical sports broadcast featuring two to three announcers in the booth.

But it’s still a feature that viewers would likely appreciate on certain telecasts, especially if it’s not intrusive or leading to a ridiculous scorebug (or if there’s also a “BottomLine” which further takes away from game action on the screen). In the case of the ESPN scorebug for this UFL broadcast, it blends in well with the rest of the graphics and isn’t very distracting to the viewer.

Perhaps this is a feature that ESPN will look to include on other sports telecasts going forward.