Robots as commentators & refs

[PatsWickedPissah]

So far, bots have been used as soccer commentators, measuring the velocity of kicks and position of the ball.
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17006&ch=infotech

If this technology is successful in this girly mon sport, the next step is drafting bots as commentators and refs in the NFL. No more senile confusion from Gil and Gino or inanities from Madden but Spocklike analysis of every play with unerring positioning of the football after every down. Gone would be the indeterminate positioning of the ball after each down or confusion of breaking the plane of the goal line.

We'll see...
"Pennington actually threw the ball faster than a girl on that last INT"
"TD Patriots! Ball was one micron over the goal line marker."
"Manning gets yet another delay of game penalty, his 43rd"

 

[CheerforTom]

Maybe in addition to commentators, but if they were used instead of them I think it'd get old pretty fast. Part of the fun is that you have personalities commenting on the game. I'd welcome robots giving us quick facts and data, but anything more I think would be a little lame.

Not to start another war, but I think one reason it works in soccer is because it seems like most of the commentary revolves around saying the player with the ball's name as he gets it and straight up describing what's happening.

One of my favourite moments from last season was when we played the Jets on Christmas Eve (or around then, maybe I'm wrong) and it took them till the 3rd to get a first down. When they finally got one they got another on the next play and Al Michaels goes "and the Jets, with a BARRAGE of first downs...". It was incredible, especially since my buddy the Jets fan was there. A robot wouldn't give you stuff like that.

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

On a Saturday game during the final week of 1980, NBC featured no announcers for the meaningless Jets at Miami game. It was cool but bizarre at the same time.

 

[Pats726]

On a Saturday game during the final week of 1980, NBC featured no announcers for the meaningless Jets at Miami game. It was cool but bizarre at the same time.

Why...as an experiment???

 

[Keegs]

One thing that would be good about this is robots as commentators.

Every time Lord Favre throws a pick, we would not here Paul McGuire say "hey Brett Favre is a gunslinger" or "look at him out there, hehe, he is just having fun!!!"

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

Why...as an experiment???

Yes. Both teams were playing for nothing and being a Saturday game, there were no other games on. NBC figured, why not. It worked on me as it got me to watch.

 

[Murphys95]

On a Saturday game during the final week of 1980, NBC featured no announcers for the meaningless Jets at Miami game. It was cool but bizarre at the same time.

Best game I've ever watched on tv. Announcers are worthless.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

I thought most announcers were robots already. They are all programmed to tell us how great Peyton Manning is, how devistating Ray Lewis is, and how wonderful it is that Favre takes so many risks.

 

[PatsSteve1]

I really likes that annoucer-less Miami/Jets game. It really made you watch the screen because there was no announcers telling you they were at the LOS or anything for that matter.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I thought most announcers were robots already. They are all programmed to tell us how great Peyton Manning is, how devistating Ray Lewis is, and how wonderful it is that Favre takes so many risks.

Precisely the point. It would be easy to program robots with the same inane 43 sports cliches and platitudes we hear each week in the NFL. Then at year's end when the Pats again reign triumphant we'd get, "Does not compute. 404 Error." followed by the hated blue screen of death. Maybe bots aren't a good idea...

 

[PromisedLand]

One thing that would be good about this is robots as commentators.

Every time Lord Favre throws a pick, we would not here Paul McGuire say "hey Brett Favre is a gunslinger" or "look at him out there, hehe, he is just having fun!!!"

I was about to post that no robot could ever replace Paul McGuire. Then I saw your post and you've convinced me - a robot could easily be programmed to say "hey Brett Favre is a gunslinger" or "look at him out there, hehe, he is just having fun!!!" at appropriate times during a game.

 

[Pats726]

VERY interesting!!!

There was a blurb on ESPN before the World Cup that talked about the technology aids that the xoccer community was looking into.
There was a piece about the 66 English team that won on a quesitionable goal..they had the original tape..and converted the raw footage to HD quality and it showed the goal really wasn't a goal.
They speculated that HD cameras could do a magnificent job of helping the refs.
MORE important was the development of a soccer ball that was specially designed, so there would be no question of when there would be a goal or not.
The NFL needs to follow the lead and look at how technology CAN AID the refs and have fewer mistakes..rather than the glaring inconsistencies of the past year. One may never get to be perfect, but closer to perfect is just fine.