Road Warriors 2019, Part 2: The Top Sports-Production Highlights of the Year

Road Warriors 2019, Part 2: The Top Sports-Production Highlights of the Year Behind the Scenes at CWS, MLB All-Star, X Games, LLWS, US Open, ESL One, and Overwatch League Final By SVG Staff

Friday, December 27, 2019 - 11:01 am

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Following on the heels of a year that saw both the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics Games and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, one might have expected the 2019 sports-production calendar to be a bit quieter. As this year draws to a close, it's clear that that could not be farther from the truth. Broadcast networks and digital distribution platforms alike were busy from January on, upping the production ante on every event from the College Football Playoff National Championship Game to the Super Bowl to the Indianapolis 500 and more. In addition, 2019 saw the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team once again emerge victorious at the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Here is a look back at many of the events where SVG was onsite, including both traditional tournaments like the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and the US Open, as well as esports tournaments like Overwatch League Finals and the ESL One New York. Read on and remember the new technologies and production workflows that were introduced this year, and - most importantly - the people behind the scenes who brought these productions and many more to life. Also check out PART 1 and PART 3 of Road Warriors for more coverage of 2019 top productions.

College World Series TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha, NE

June 15-26

At the 2019 College World Series, ESPN deployed technology usually reserved for MLB telecasts, including a 4D Replay system, a POV camera on the mask of the home-plate umpire, and all-encompassing surround coverage on ESPN3.

The goal is to serve the baseball fan. A large amount of them are accustomed to watching Major League Baseball, so they are accustomed to technologies that are typically available only at that level, said Chris Swihart, remote operations producer, ESPN. Our production approach has changed a little bit this year. The overarching production support and production management are being overseen by a group of folks who also do [those] Major League Baseball games. We're trying to bring that feel to some of our bigger college events as well.

The College World Series crew was in an advantageous situation leading up to the tournament. ESPN had just produced the first MLB game in the state of Nebraska; the Kansas City Royals vs. the Detroit Tigers at TD Ameritrade Park. After the game was over, a majority of the onsite staff and the equipment remained in its place for its use in this tournament. One prime example was NEP's ND7 production truck, whose four units (A, B, C, and D) were in use. As for transmission going on inside the truck, the games were transmitted in 720p.

Aside from the RF UmpCam and the 100 cameras used for the 4D Replay system, a lineup of 25-30 total cameras were also used for the production. Besides the many POVs and robos on the field, there were three Sony HDC-4300's with super-slo-mo playback (located at low home plate, tight center field, and high third base), a Fletcher-provided Sony HDC-4800 super-slo-mo with 4K capability, a jib camera from Fully Armed Productions, and a Winged Vision aerial camera.

The hardware wasn't the only technology that was left behind. The College World Series used K-Zone replays for pitch location, which is normally seen on Sunday Night Baseball and other MLB on ESPN telecasts. - Kristian Hernandez

MLB All Star Game Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

July 9

In true Fox form, the broadcaster rolled out its largest and most technology-rich MLB All-Star production ever, including transporting Virtual Eye Graphics from the golf course to the ballpark, deploying 4DReplay for the first time, and reviving the DirtCam after a three-year absence.

MLB All-Star is obviously one of our huge tent poles and one of our favorite events, said Mike Davies, SVP, technical and field operations, Fox Sports, speaking at the annual event. We put all this technology into one event here, but the All-Star Game is, almost by definition, a short game without a lot of time to put all these cool elements in. So, as much as we like to get this technology on TV, the All-Star Game also functions as a very valuable testing ground for this technology in a real-world environment. Then we can have a better gauge whether to use the technology [for MLB Postseason] in October and on other events down the line.

Fox Sports worked with Animation Research Ltd (ARL) to bring the Virtual Eye graphics system to baseball. The Virtual Eye was provided with MLB ballpark data to create a 3D virtual representation of Progressive Field and the surrounding area in downtown Cleveland. For the All-Star Game, the system leveraged MLB Statcast tracking data to provide AR graphics that track and compare pitches (for example, fastball vs. curveball), home runs, and other key moments in the game.

Between game coverage and studio shows, Fox deployed a total of 39 cameras (up from 36 last year). The complement also included seven Sony HDC-P1 robotic systems (provided by Fletcher), an RF M VI rig and RF handheld system (provided by CP Communications), and an aerial from the Goodyear Blimp (provided by Wingedvision).

Fox Sports' flagship production trucks - Game Creek Video's Encore A, B, and C units - were back in the All-Star compound for the second consecutive season, along with Game Creek's Edit 2 truck. The primary control room inside the Encore B unit handled the game production, and a second production area was created in the B unit to serve the onsite studio shows. Jason Dachman

X Games Minneapolis U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

August 1-4

For years, X Games has pushed the envelope not just for what's possible wi

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