A major reason for the success of the yellow line was the subtle manner in which it was implemented. In other words, the dramatic change to viewing being introduced was effective in part because it didn’t shock fans to the point that they viewed it with distaste.
An example of similar TV technology failing was the case of the highlighted hockey puck. Instead of approaching the viewing change with tact and understated methods, Fox Sports Television Group highlighted the hockey puck during games with “a large, bright, fuzzy blue spot.”[1] Even more blatantly, the path of the puck left a “red rocket trail”[2] that oftentimes went over the images of players. Although this tactic of shock and awe, if you will, was effective in increasing hockey ratings, it did not stick on broadcast networks in the long term.
The main issue was that the effect distracted from actual game play, and especially frustrated serious viewers who were more interested in the nuances of the sport. Part of the reason that the yellow line was successful was that it did not divert attention from plays or lose focus of its goal. While the highlighted hockey puck sought to change the entire viewing experience and was intrusive, the yellow line was initially introduced with the sole purpose of providing the distance needed for a first down. In fact, the first yellow line that was introduced, on September 27th, 1998, was much fainter than the bolder line featured during games today. It was not hyped up or over done, but simply appeared for the first time during a Cinncinati Bengals v. Baltimore Ravens Sunday Night Game.[3] This may in fact have been a driving factor for the spike in popularity after the line’s instituion; the introduction this new goal for players to reach on a play by play basis sparked curiosity and intrigue to a sport that was needing a shot of life. Fans even noted that the line was subtle to the point that blade of grass could be seen poking up through it. Over time, as the technology became more ubiquitous, this tone would become more defined. An additional explanation for why the line fit so well so soon into the American football game is the inherent nature of the sport. Due to the fact that the football field is riddled with lines across the field every 5 yards, the additional yellow line was not seen as such a dramatic change. In hockey however, the emboldened puck and trailing line created a foreign presence on the typically clean ice surface of the NHL.
The task of creating a tool that would remain in the background, if you will, was by no means easy for Sportsvision, the creators of the yellow line. The beauty of the yellow line is that it is such a simple concept visually, but in reality incorporates an abundance of visual data and color coordination. A major hurdle that was overcome by Sportsvision was keeping the line “color-keyed” so that the yellow color only replaces the tones on the field. Another factor to consider with this is that the tone of the field is constantly changing, whether it be due to sun positioning, cloudiness, dirt, different shades of grass (or turf), precipitation, etc. Logos on the field and the jerseys of the players as well can cause potential interference. The way in which the broad spectrum of potential color obstruction is avoided is via an expansive RGB color definition array comprised of red, green, and blue shades. With such a vast variety of colors available it is less likely that a tone will arise on the field or in the way of the field that the first down line cannot color-key to. This detailed technology was developed over time and honed as TV technology progressed, resulting in the precision seen in the image below:
An example of similar TV technology failing was the case of the highlighted hockey puck. Instead of approaching the viewing change with tact and understated methods, Fox Sports Television Group highlighted the hockey puck during games with “a large, bright, fuzzy blue spot.”[1] Even more blatantly, the path of the puck left a “red rocket trail”[2] that oftentimes went over the images of players. Although this tactic of shock and awe, if you will, was effective in increasing hockey ratings, it did not stick on broadcast networks in the long term.
The main issue was that the effect distracted from actual game play, and especially frustrated serious viewers who were more interested in the nuances of the sport. Part of the reason that the yellow line was successful was that it did not divert attention from plays or lose focus of its goal. While the highlighted hockey puck sought to change the entire viewing experience and was intrusive, the yellow line was initially introduced with the sole purpose of providing the distance needed for a first down. In fact, the first yellow line that was introduced, on September 27th, 1998, was much fainter than the bolder line featured during games today. It was not hyped up or over done, but simply appeared for the first time during a Cinncinati Bengals v. Baltimore Ravens Sunday Night Game.[3] This may in fact have been a driving factor for the spike in popularity after the line’s instituion; the introduction this new goal for players to reach on a play by play basis sparked curiosity and intrigue to a sport that was needing a shot of life. Fans even noted that the line was subtle to the point that blade of grass could be seen poking up through it. Over time, as the technology became more ubiquitous, this tone would become more defined. An additional explanation for why the line fit so well so soon into the American football game is the inherent nature of the sport. Due to the fact that the football field is riddled with lines across the field every 5 yards, the additional yellow line was not seen as such a dramatic change. In hockey however, the emboldened puck and trailing line created a foreign presence on the typically clean ice surface of the NHL.
The task of creating a tool that would remain in the background, if you will, was by no means easy for Sportsvision, the creators of the yellow line. The beauty of the yellow line is that it is such a simple concept visually, but in reality incorporates an abundance of visual data and color coordination. A major hurdle that was overcome by Sportsvision was keeping the line “color-keyed” so that the yellow color only replaces the tones on the field. Another factor to consider with this is that the tone of the field is constantly changing, whether it be due to sun positioning, cloudiness, dirt, different shades of grass (or turf), precipitation, etc. Logos on the field and the jerseys of the players as well can cause potential interference. The way in which the broad spectrum of potential color obstruction is avoided is via an expansive RGB color definition array comprised of red, green, and blue shades. With such a vast variety of colors available it is less likely that a tone will arise on the field or in the way of the field that the first down line cannot color-key to. This detailed technology was developed over time and honed as TV technology progressed, resulting in the precision seen in the image below:
Even though the jersey could potentially cause trouble for keeping the yellow line in the background and the player is in motion, the color array technology allows the live action to be at the forefront. A final coordination aspect that was taken into account was the actual color of the first down line. While red, green, and orange were all considered, (orange due to the fact that first down marker is also orange) yellow was selected to be the most aesthetically pleasing choice. However, the televised line of scrimmage, a recent innovation that has been utilized on certain networks, appears on the screen in either red, blue, or black. The reason for this is that these colors are less overt and draw less attention to the line of scrimmage, which is not as important to game play as the first down line.
Ultimately, the method with which the yellow line was introduced was just as significant in ensuring it’s future success as the technology itself. Not falling into the traps that the highlighted hockey puck encountered led to a more subtle launch that didn’t polarize fans and caused ratings to skyrocket. Sportsvision, who was also the company to design the highlighted puck, undoubtedly learned from its prior experiences with hockey and improved upon them when approaching the first down marker.
Ultimately, the method with which the yellow line was introduced was just as significant in ensuring it’s future success as the technology itself. Not falling into the traps that the highlighted hockey puck encountered led to a more subtle launch that didn’t polarize fans and caused ratings to skyrocket. Sportsvision, who was also the company to design the highlighted puck, undoubtedly learned from its prior experiences with hockey and improved upon them when approaching the first down marker.