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COVID’s Effect on Sports Productions

Camerawork, In the Studio
Zari Malbacius and Danny Anderson break down after a softball broadcast before social distancing was implemented.

A typical SEC Network sports broadcast is a high energy and well orchestrated spectacle. This Fall, however, the control room and venues feel slower and less electric. Part of this change in tone is due to the lack of fans that typically fill up local sports venues. The other contributing factor are the new health and safety regulations to prevent the spread of COVID.

Typical sporting events in Knoxville are overwhelming. Fans are filled to the brim of whatever stadium plays host that day, and players have no fears of interacting with fans. COVID has changed all of this in one fatal swoop. The venues hold less people and require social distancing be practiced through the events entirety. This also affects the people working the games as well. 

Camera crews are quarantined to the venue from crew call until the game’s resolution, and are not allowed field access of any kind. On top of this, they must wear face coverings while working and scrub their gear after use. In the control room, crew members have been thinned out to meet social distancing requirements, and plexiglass dividers sit between each workstation. These employees are also required face-coverings for the game’s entirety.

All of these typical gameday changes, and more, affect the streamlined and effective processes of producing a televised sporting event. Masks occasionally distort audio transmissions and plexiglass barriers are obstacles waiting to be knocked over. Cameramen being restricted to the venue once entering creates a difficult issue to resolve when a piece of equipment is broken or left behind. Crew meals are also done away with which lowers employee morale and forces them to bring a sack lunch on their own dime.

While these issues may not be the greatest facing our world today, they are still affecting people around us. Our daily lives may not be the same for quite some time, so we should adapt to this less energetic, more restrictive, “new normal”.

Game Days on Rocky Top During COVID-19

Home
Neyland Stadium typically holds 102,455 fans in orange. This Fall it will be at 25% capacity along with many other restrictions.

How Rocky Top Will Feel This Saturday

October 1st, 11:13am

Ahead of The University of Tennessee’s home opener, we look forward to football being back on Rocky Top, but we will miss some traditional aspects of what makes Knoxville special on a Fall Saturday. It is well-known that capacity will be at 25% in Neyland Stadium, but the university has also confirmed that there will be no Vol Walk either. The Tennessee tradition is anything but social distancing as players walk across campus embracing fans before the game, so its cancellation comes as no big surprise. One shocking cancellation is the removal of one blue-tick coonhound from the sideline of Shields-Watkins Field. The COVID-19 protocols for NCAA schools only allow vital personnel access to the field level to protect the players, and sadly Smokey X does not fall under the category of vital. The players will also not run through the “Power T” due to the removal of all band members from field access. The Vols fans still have something to look forward to… it’s football time in Tennessee!

During football games Smokey X sits sideline to support his team, and when they score he takes a lap across the end-zone.

Different Atmosphere on Rocky Top

October 3rd @ 6:35pm

Today was the first Tennessee Volunteers home game during the pandemic. It felt very strange here on Rocky Top as there was no traditional Vol Walk or running through the “Power T”. The stands were peppered with socially distanced fans and the coaches were required to wear face coverings throughout the entire game. The Volunteers did secure a dominant victory over the Missouri Tigers, but the looming presence of the pandemic seemed to put a damper on those wearing orange. The sounds of Neyland are typically seismic and electric, but the game today at 25% capacity was far from normal. In the coming weeks we may see slight increases in fan attendance, but social distancing and health concerns seem to be embedded with every game-day experience this season.

The Pride of the Southland marching band typically has a large pregame and halftime routine, but this season they will not leave the stands.

In-State Rival Memphis Ups Seating Capacity

October 6th @ 9:14 pm

The Memphis Tigers have increased their stadium capacity for pandemic games. The University of Memphis has almost tripled the previous number of 4,500 fans, bringing the stadium total to 12,000 this coming Saturday. This increase in fan attendance means that the social distancing policy will be altered from a 12 foot required separation to 6 feet. The increase in fan attendance in a smaller stadium is a good sign for Rocky Top. With in-state schools increasing their attendance, The University of Tennessee could soon see an upgrade as well, and any increase in Neyland Stadium will be far greater than any other Tennessee state program. Neyland will likely never make the same jump in fans seen in Memphis, but any step in increasing Rocky Top’s in-game noise is welcomed with open arms.

These results are from a Twitter poll with the question “How many in-person sporting events have you missed out on during the pandemic?”

The Modern Journalist’s New Friend

Media

The social app TikTok is currently dominating the global media scene with its meteoric rise and newly famous personalities. The app has led the world in downloads over the past year and joined the list of commonplace social media platforms in the average person’s phone. Many people use TikTok simply for entertainment in the form of dancing, dares, or daily blogs, but others are using this new platform to further their business. Instead of simply recording a video of a dance trend, some journalists are adding deeper meaning to the usage of TikTok in creative ways.

In addition to his dance skills, Nock Kosir brands himself as a style enthusiast.

The best journalists on TikTok know that to hold an audience on a fast-paced platform, you need to entertain while informing. Nick Kosir, a weatherman with FOX46 in Charlotte, might be the best example of this adapting to the platform. Kosir has gone viral with his dancing abilities on and off the air. He has coined the name “The Dancing Weatherman” and gained over a million followers in TikTok which is no small feat. Kosir understands that TikTok is the most effective platform at gaining an audience with his talent. He has built his brand and maintained his audience’s attention so that he is known nationally, and perhaps globally.

DevanOnDeck brands himself as a style expert with a specialty in shoes.

On smaller scales, plenty of other journalists are using TikTok to simply share their information with those listening. Countless bloggers and lifestyle enthusiasts have turned to TikTok to share style trends, news, and life hacks. DevanOnDeck has branded himself as a men’s lifestyle journalist on TikTok with over three million followers. With the use of colorful content and popular editing transitions made available through the app, Devan has branded himself as a style guru.

The best journalists adapt to the times and use what tools are popular for the masses. Having a well-branded image on TikTok is a sure way to reach new audience members that are younger, while maintaining other demographics with platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. People go on TikTok to be entertained in a split second. If one can produce energetic and interesting content with the effective tools TikTok provides, then audiences will constantly return to be entertained again.

The Cameraman and COVID-19

Media
Isaac Fowler films a baseball game for SEC Network.

The vast world of sports has countless people that depend on it for their livelihood. To the common viewer at home, they might assume I am referring to sports betting or the players with multi-million dollar contracts, but I am not. With no sports to be televised, there is no need for the people who produce live sports for the viewers at home. At any sporting event, there can be anywhere from ten to one hundred crew members that are hard at work documenting the game for those not in attendance. These videographers arrive at games long before the first whistle, and stay long after the last fan exits the building. They are dependent on the players suiting up and competing, while the audience might not even realize they are there. But what do these crew-members do when there are no sports to be filmed?

When the pandemic of COVID-19 hit, sports were cancelled indefinitely. For the safety of the players and fans, this was the correct decision while we sought to understand the risks of the coronavirus. What many people did not realize however, was that thousands of videographers were left without work. They rely on basketball season ending, and baseball season immediately beginning. Instead, they were left in limbo.

Peyton Craven runs lead replay for a baseball broadcast.

The majority of live sports productions are freelance jobs and therefore work is never guaranteed. Six months without the majority of sports playing, and these freelancers have no income to depend on. “When COVID-19 arrived, I went from working four games a week to nothing. I had to find a part time job to compensate for lost income” says Peyton Craven, a lead replay operator for sports in Knoxville.

This is an issue for freelance videographers. And while sports are beginning to make a comeback, every crew member has had to make changes within their lives during these uncertain times. So the next time you watch a game on television or an app, think about the people that are making it possible for you to be a part of the game. You may not see them, but they are there.