Some things in sports broadcasting can easily be taken for granted, especially those innovations that have been in place for decades. One of those is baseball’s centerfield camera angle that has been in place, believe it or not, since the 1950s. The Baseball Hall of Fame credits local broadcasts in Chicago for coming up with the idea of putting a camera all the way out in centerfield to successfully see the batter and the pitcher all the way back when baseball on television was in its early stages.
And for 70 years now, the centerfield camera has been the standard way baseball has been viewed on television.
Unfortunately for NESN this weekend, we were also shown how *not* to watch a game through the centerfield camera.
The beauty of the centerfield camera is being able to see all the action. But if you’ll notice, the camera is usually slightly off-center. And there’s a good reason for that! When that camera can draw a straight line through the pitcher and home plate, it can make for some really awkward viewing.
Now, if you’re watching a Spring Training game in late March, during the middle of March Madness, you’re probably a hardcore baseball fan. In all likelihood, you’re the type of fan that’s going to notice whether or not the pitcher’s body is blocking your view of home plate on the telecast.
We’re going to assume that given some of the limitations that exist in Spring Training that this camera angle somehow couldn’t be avoided by moving a few feet to either side. Either that, or the folks at NESN are just really inspired by the upcoming total solar eclipse next month.