Fox adds digital markings to Bears-49ers game
FoxNFLBy Sean Keeley on

The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers played their 2022 season-opener in an absolute downpour on Sunday at Soldier Field. So intense and unwavering was the rain that it washed away the field markings, including hash marks and yardage lines. Not only did that make it incredibly hard for players to keep track of where they were on the field, but it made it nearly impossible for TV viewers to note it as well.

Enter Fox, who added black digital field markings to their broadcast to make it easier to know where the Bears and Niners were on the field at any given moment. It appears that Fox used some kind of superimposed image to create the effect.

As noted by Christian D’Andrea in the above tweet, the whole thing has a real 1990s video game feel to it. And while it certainly looked weird, it does appear to have been helpful for audiences.

To be fair, it appears that the digital sideline markings were an improvement over the actual sidelines.

The conditions of the turf at Soldier Field and its inability to hold up to weather conditions is certainly a larger discussion. However, it’s worth noting that it wasn’t all bad, especially for the Bears, who seemed to have some fun after they’d sealed up the victory.

[Christian D’Andrea, All Things White Sox, FTW]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Sean Keeley