RSNs are messing with scoreboxes again

The folks at Awful Announcing today pointed out a couple of changes in scoreboxes for several regional sports networks.

One of them works all right, though there was nothing wrong with the old one. The other one is another head-scratcher.

Let’s start with the head-scratcher. It’s the White Sox channel, NBC Sports Chicago (and the rest of the NBC Sports RSNs):

NBC Sports Chicago

I mean... this isn’t a bad scorebox, but their previous version was cleaner and better. This one is from the days when NBC Sports Chicago was still doing Cubs games:

NBC Sports Chicago

To me, it’s easier to read the letters than the logos. Also, it’s not a bad idea to have the pitcher and batter listed below, with the batter’s stat line for the day and the pitch count, but the ones the channel is using today are way too small.

Maybe it’ll be easier to read when that Opening Day banner is gone. The ad... well, I guess we’re stuck with that.

This one, from MASN’s coverage of the Orioles/Rays game Friday, is good:

MASN

Here, the channel has offset the background behind the logos with a white background behind the score. That makes them easier to read. The bases, outs, count and inning are all easy to read, as is the pitch speed below.

Here is MASN’s scorebox from last year. They’d used that one for 12 years, which is an eternity in the broadcasting biz:

MASN

That one’s easy to read, too, but I do prefer the box in the upper left, so MASN’s change is an improvement.

In general, though, once a channel has a scorebox that works, they really ought to stick with it. There’s no reason to change something good except to... well, I worked in TV for 30 years and I still don’t get why.

Kudos to Marquee Sports Network, who debuted in 2020 with one of the lower-screen scoreboxes that you now see on all the Bally Sports RSNs. In 2021 Marquee changed to this one, which they’re still using:

Marquee Sports Network

Good use of contrasting colors there, very easy to read the score and game situation, as well as the pitcher and batter info without taking up a lot of screen real estate.

Anyway, look: The Cubs were rained out Friday afternoon so what else do we have to talk about? Figured this might be a good discussion topic. Have at it.

H/T, as noted above, to the good folks at Awful Announcing.