It’s snowing in East Rutherford, New Jersey — perfect weather for a Green Bay Packers at New York Giants NFL game. Unfortunately, Fox Sports’ fancy technology is getting in the way, some Twitter users are complaining.
In an understandable attempt to be helpful to TV viewers, Fox is superimposing all of the lines (including the hash marks) and yardage numbers on the MetLife Stadium turf. But that simulated overlay hasn’t jived particularly well with the very real players — especially the white parts of their uniforms.
While Sunday marked the first snowfall of the year in New Jersey and was among the first nationally televised games of the 2019 National Football League season to contend with the white stuff, Fox has actually been doing the same thing for a couple of years now. The faux lines and sidelines are a similar technology to the commonly appreciated yellow first-down line. (Which turns red for fourth down plays. The line of scrimmage is transmitted as a blue line.)
We asked a Fox Sports spokesman if today’s brightness or contrast level was set differently than in games past, which might explain why it felt particularly jarring to some. The spokesman responded that it was the “same as always.”
Still, guess how well some members of the Twitter community are taking today’s use? Right.
Read a sample of the social-media griping below.
lol @NFLonFOX is superimposing the lines on the TV feed @NFL_Memes @NYGDaily #GBvsNYG pic.twitter.com/9FQrkUnSHq
— Nick Falco (@NickFalco55) December 1, 2019
Dear @NFLonFOX, we don’t need a graphic on the screen to show the yard markers in the snow. It’s annoying. Please stop. You’re overthinking it. Thanks, Stets. #GBvsNYG
— Michael Stets (@Michael_Stets) December 1, 2019
The weather is so poor in New York that the TV broadcast superimposed yard lines.
(Also, Aaron Rodgers is still throwing dimes in the snow)#GBvsNYG
(Via @nfl) pic.twitter.com/CISYglighB
— SportsLine (@SportsLine) December 1, 2019
@NFLonFOX Fox is superimposing the yard markers on the field. They don’t know their customers at all. We love snow games and would rather see the field completely covered in snow. #GBvsNYG pic.twitter.com/9JL4ceeWxF
— Desert Swarm (@Desert__Swarm) December 1, 2019
Thank goodness for the FOX overlay or we wouldn’t have known that was a Packers touchdown.
Classic overthinking. Snow football is great. Snow football with goofy graphics is dumb. #GBvsNYG
— Steve Feitl (@SteveFeitl) December 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/Seanfrankey/status/1201211438129434625
https://twitter.com/mgrims99/status/1201209410699304961
@NFLonFOX can we get rid of this phantom yardage thing? #GBvsNYG
— W (@thedird25) December 1, 2019
Theses digital yard markers are annoying @NFLonFOX #GBvsNYG #SnowBowl
— Alger V. Boswell III (@algerboswell) December 1, 2019
These superimposed lines in the #GBvsNYG game are messing with my head.
— Marcas Grant (@MarcasG) December 1, 2019