Friday night’s FS1 broadcast of the Maryland Terrapins vs. Virginia Cavaliers game showcased the unfortunate drawbacks of broadcasters performing remote game coverage.
A contest between two colleges located near one another did not have a stadium broadcast team. FS1 opted for a studio broadcast, with Eric Collins and Devin Gardner handling the call of the game.
Without a sideline reporter present, it’s challenging to pick up on all the subtleties of a game remotely. FSI and other networks have demonstrated this in the past, and this game, however, was no exception.
UVA freshman Anthony Colandrea was starting at quarterback instead of senior Tony Muskett. This fact was overlooked by FS1. Last year, FS1 faced a similar issue.
The FS1 crew had trouble recognizing players and made a number of mistakes. A penalty situation caught them off guard. The team later clarified the situation.
FS1’s production tonight has been off.
Announcers are in studio
Didn’t see UVA was warming up a different QB
Didn’t spot who was kicking the field goal for Maryland
Endzone camera is crookedI know it’s a Friday night, middle of the pack, ACC-Big 10 game but be better
— Richard Martin (@Ricardo_Knows) September 15, 2023
Weird things happening on tonight's Virginia-Maryland game on FS1. Broadcast caught unaware of a defensive penalty on a 3rd down sack and left guessing as to what happened. Remote broadcast issue? pic.twitter.com/cWMV4phRUx
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 16, 2023
The team would have wanted to be present to broadcast the game from the booth. However, networks use remote broadcasting to cut costs, but sadly, as a result, the quality is reduced.
