The Chicago Bulls made their preseason debut Tuesday night on the brand new Chicago Sports Network, the new television channel taking the baton from the regional sports network NBC Sports Chicago, which went dark last month.
Bulls fans tuning in for the first time were handed a bit of a surprise: The scorebug, which normally occupied the bottom right corner of the television screen during the NBC days, now sat vertically on the top left corner.
There are many variations of scorebugs used on broadcasts throughout the world of sports. But this location and style was certainly new.
The new Chicago Sports Network scorebug cut off players standing around the perimeter during offensive possessions moving left to right, and it also would get in the way of the other team hustling down the court the other way on a fast break.
The Bulls’ new broadcast partner, Chicago Sports Network, debuted their scorebug tonight. Not only does it look like a random banner hanging from the TV rafters, it covers players in the top left corner of the screen. pic.twitter.com/w7EzOyRmHB
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 9, 2024
NBA fans were not impressed:
Who approved this https://t.co/5RyEbFQr5d
— Cyclone Larry (@CycloneLarry69) October 9, 2024
When you change what isn't broken instead of improving the original bit, you end up with this monstrosity https://t.co/Mf5Gqzx51O
— Don (@EverydayDono) October 9, 2024
NBCSports Chicago died for this monstrosity https://t.co/jDz3sptfgZ
— Betsey (@Betsycashmoney) October 9, 2024
haha yeah this is bad @chicagobulls https://t.co/E0B9aruqF7
— MC BISCUIT (@emceebiscuit) October 9, 2024
The Chicago Sports Network will broadcast Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago White Sox games going forward. NBC Sports Chicago, which launched in 2004 as Comcast SportsNet Chicago, officially ceased operations on Sept. 30.
The Bulls, by the way, defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 116–112 on Tuesday night behind 21 points from point guard Coby White.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Fans Roast Distracting Scorebug Location for Bulls' New TV Partner.
