NOT SEEING WHAT HAPPENS IN A FOOTBALL GAME.

NOT SEEING WHAT HAPPENS IN A FOOTBALL GAME. I have wondered for over 30 years why television broadcasts of professional football games show only the part of the field near the line of scrimmage. The camera follows the ball, but on passing plays, which are more than half the plays, the camera shows mainly the pass blocking and not what the wide receivers and the defensive secondary are doing—about one third of the players on the field. For example, it is impossible to see any kind of zone defense. Reed Albergotti had an article in the Wall Street Journal (November 4) which explained that there is indeed a distant camera angle in the National Football League that shows all 22 players and is called the “All 22”. Bill Parcells is quoted as saying that what fans see on television is only a “fragment” of what happens in a game. However, the “All 22” is kept strictly away from the fans.