Scene: Office Water Cooler, Monday Morning

Fellow Employee #1: Did you see that play that State U made on Saturday?

You: No, I missed it. I was watching the other game.

Fellow Employee #2: Yes! I saw it! It was great!

Scene: This conversation goes on and on between #1 and #2 but your left out of the conversation because you didn’t see the big play. (and you missed SportsCenter!)

Solution: Subscribe to a content-based web site that allows you to review a past game graphically in order to get the big picture of the game. Then by clicking on the graphics for an individual play, you get to watch a small video clip of that play.
-- dogzapper, Sep 04 2005

Sports Briefs Sports_20Briefs
At the time of writing it was Baseball season, but my true love is playing American Football. [Zimmy, Sep 05 2005]

Pretty good idea. Would be difficult to pull off as all sports video footage is protected by copyrights and so forth. Also, there are many games, and many plays, and many different kinds of games, and making a reliable infrastructure of all this would be quite a challenge.
-- daseva, Sep 04 2005


I guess you would need to "click" on that "small" video before the conversation at the watering hole. Otherwise you will still look like a "big" charlie.
If you don't follow the football game (there are other types) then why pretend that you do?. If you want to be seen by others to follow the football game then hire a secretary with a video recorder and make sure she shows you the relevant "play".
-- gnomethang, Sep 05 2005


I am assuming that this is American football, based on the use of plays, as opposed to soccer. In an average NFL or College football game there are between 100 and 120 plays. In the NFL alone there are 15 games each week, and 32 cameras on every play. Which unfortunately makes 40,000+ 'views of a single play' available each week, all owned by the NFL. It would cost a good bit of money just to get the best view of each play from every game. So you may have a high charge. But I'd love it.
-- sleeka, Sep 05 2005


Zimmy's half baked, Sports Briefs, idea is very similar to this one. About the only difference is the use of animation vs video playback.
-- dogzapper, Sep 05 2005


[Gnomethang]... quick, random access to the plays I want to see is really what I'm after here.
-- dogzapper, Sep 06 2005


[Sleeka] - there are 14 games per week during weeks 3-10, when four teams each week have byes, leaving 28 teams to play. There are 16 games per week during weeks 1,2, and 11-17, making for 256 games total.
-- shapu, Sep 06 2005


I know about the bye weeks, I just averaged it out to 15 games per week. And with 256 games total, multiplied by at least 100 plays (120 if they are passing teams)in each game, and by 32 cameras on each play (which the NFL requires), you still get nearly a million plays each season. All owned by the NFL. This conversation makes me crave a beer and a big-screen TV.
-- sleeka, Sep 06 2005


Yeah! NFL Films could even include old games. WIBNI we could watch some old Johnny U game plays and see those old black high tops again? What about college and high school games? This could be huge! If only we could find someone to hang the bell around the cat’s neck! The technology is in place. The video is available for editing and rendering. We just need a little labor that’s all.
-- dogzapper, Sep 06 2005


+ I wish more substantial sports journalism could be within the grasp of those who wanted it (I struggled mightly with the conjugation on that one -- was/were/would be/shoud be/could be....).

If I can make it to where my job is on the consulting basis & so valued, that I only need spend a part of the day on it, I intend to start a web site that goes into this.

With Mighty Poetic summaries, & numbers, numbers, just within the mouse click. With animated replays of "water cooler worthy" type plays ... , well, you know.

Since HST offed himself, much to my anguish, (As he did the Mighty Poetic Summaries more than well enough) I will be hoping to recruit a writer poetic & sublime, beyond my own ability (but with my capability to comprehend).

Who knows how long it takes to achieve the legitimate dream these days? Zen Tom?
-- Zimmy, Sep 07 2005


I just read in ESPN mag that the NBA is doing this with all their archived video...said it would take 7 years to complete and 3 years to begin public viewing.
-- goober, Sep 08 2005


Seeing as how there are that many plays, nobody could see all of them. And so here's what you do: simply pick some random and half-decent replay for a team that's relatively cared about, and talk it up. Take over the conversation. No need to remember 'their' play at all.
-- RayfordSteele, Sep 09 2005


[RS] Who's the 3rd leading goal scorer of all time? did you have to look it up? Will any active player have a chance at breaking that record? (I assume [RS], you're a European resident as I phrased the thoughts in that manner).

The state of sports journalism as it now exist, ... sucks. IMHO.
-- Zimmy, Sep 09 2005


[Gomer's Cousin] How does this idea work with games like basketball, hockey and soccer? The idea needs a graphical overview of plays of a past game that can be clicked on in order to link to individual video clips. The above-mentioned sports do not have plays. How do you graphically represent a game of basketball? Also, this idea DOES work for golf. You could pick one player, lets say Tiger, and video record all his shots for a round. Provide a graphical overview of each hole on the course with Tiger’s shots marked with dotted lines. Click on the dotted line of a bad shot and see video of him saying "&^%$#!".
-- dogzapper, Sep 09 2005



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