Umpire Camera to debut on ‘Sunday Night Baseball’

Viewers of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves on Sept. 1 will see at least some of the game from a different perspective — the umpire’s.

It was revealed on Friday that one of the cameras during Sunday night’s broadcast will be on the person of the second base umpire.

“ESPN plans to introduce a new view of the baseball field for Sunday Night Baseball consumers, starting with this weekend’s Phillies-Braves telecast,” Jacob Feldman of Sportico reported. “The network has gotten permission from MLB and the MLB Umpires Association to have the second base umpire wear a small camera rig on his chest for close-up shots of sliding plays and other moments in the middle of the diamond.”

“‘Umpires, by definition, position themselves in the absolute best spots to see the action,'” said ESPN’s vice president of production Phil Orlins, per Feldman. “‘You just can’t really get inside that perimeter without something like this.'”

Sunday night will be the first time this specific camera will be in use for a Major League Baseball game. That said, the camera has been used in other sports as well as college baseball.

“The MindFly BodyCam device used for the test has already been trialed across lacrosse, hockey, football and college baseball competitions amid sports media’s ongoing obsession with offering new forms of in-game access. The setup includes built-in transmission tech to provide a possible live feed, a small microphone, and algorithmic stability tools to prevent shaky shots.”

Paul Clemons is scheduled to be the umpire with the camera during Sunday night’s game.

[Sportico.com]