The Good, Bad and the Bally — Talking MLB’s Scorebugs
If you’re a baseball fan, there’s a few things synonymous with watching the game. The crack of a bat, the pop of a glove — and of course, somewhere on your TV (or, let’s be honest, your phone), a scorebug. Big and small, full-width and tiny boxes. Every network has one of their own. And being the big graphic design and baseball geek that I am, I felt like kicking off the 2023 season by judging all of them. Sit back and relax.
The Good
Sportsnet (Canada)
Sportsnet’s scorebug sits in the bottom right-hand corner. I have to be careful not to be too biased here, being Canadian and a frequent Sportsnet viewer — not just for their Blue Jays coverage, but for all sports. But as a fan of a network that has designs that look similar for all sports they cover, here’s my seal of approval. The animations are also stellar — something SN’s always been very good at designing from my perspective.
My complaints? Move that SN logo somewhere other than on the scorebug. It makes things too busy. I also tend to prefer logos over team abbreviations when it comes to scorebugs, but I’ll survive. It’s a perfectly functional scoreboard with some nice animations. I’m in.
FOX Sports
Sitting in the bottom right of the screen, I must confess — when FOX revealed their new scorebug design seen above just a couple years ago, following up their clean, dark-grey design used for all their sports with this new, 3D-style look, I hated it. And a part of me still does. I just wish FOX would have one design that could be used for all sports.
Take your NFL design and make it work for baseball, like Reddit user RuleNine. It looks sleek. Otherwise, I like it. FOX has always been a top network for graphics, likely thanks to a nice budget compared to other smaller networks — and it shows. And say what you want, but their extravagant home run animation featuring the team’s colours? Yeah, I love it. I’m not sure why, but I do.
ESPN
Don’t be fooled — ESPN’s scorebug isn’t a giant horizontal mess. It sits in the top left corner of broadcasts and is just plain clean. Everything animates nicely, I’m here for it.
The only thing I don’t like? There’s a lot going on here. A lot of boxes to look at. And for each team, we have their logo, abbreviation, and, in the case above, their seeding. That’s too much to look at. In the regular season, there was also sometimes a place to display each team’s record — simplify the scorebug a big, and it’s probably the best of the bunch.
SNY
Look at you go, SNY. In 2020, the network finally moved on from a less than ideal scorebug and went for a design that just worked. Then, they dug even deeper prior to the 2022 season — giving us this bad boy, also sitting in the top left.
I don’t have much to say about this, to be honest. It’s simple, easy to read, it works. Something about where the inning is placed, I don’t love. I also find the logos on their own just a bit strange for some reason, even though I prefer that over team abbreviations (see: Sportsnet.) That being said, this design kicks butt. Well done.
MASN
Someone look outside, because pigs must be flying. MASN finally — FINALLY — did away with their insanely outdated scorebug, and came up with this bad boy. Like many others, MASN’s new design sits in the top left corner, and I’ll say it. I love it.
It’s got all you really need. Pitcher and batter info is there and easy to read, the whole thing is compact but not cramped. Good job, MASN. It’s extremely overdue, but better late than never.
YES Network
Our first “rounded” scoreboard isn’t too bad, to be honest. I’m typically a fan of keeping things squared off and simple (see: every other scoreboard thus far) but YES has something good going here.
Everything is nice and easy to read. Clean colours, a compact scoreboard — yes, it’s in the top left corner too — what else could one ask for. Well done, YES. No major complaints.
The “Meh”
Marquee
Okay, it’s not that bad. But, I just can’t get with Marquee’s new scorebug, which like so many others, sits in the top left of the screen. Why is the text for the batter and pitcher so big? Why are the logos so squished in there? I think you’re hurting the poor Blue Jay.
It’s not bad by any means — it follows all the basic principles I’ve talked about. It’s simple, easy to read, etc. It’s just a little too compact for my liking.
NBC/Peacock
At the end of the day, NBC (and by proxy, Peacock)’s scoreboard design, sitting in the top left, isn’t bad at all. It’s actually pretty good. But, I have some complaints. First of all, the pitcher and batter info. That’s small. How small? Here’s the same scoreboard, with the whole screen displayed.
I can’t read that text. The inning, count, score and outs are all perfect. Leave them be. Just don’t put text in places if it doesn’t work! That being said — this deisgn is a very nice refresh compared to what NBC was using previously for many years. But, it still feels a bit dated to me. It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not quite up to par with the other major networks yet.
Sportsnet (LA)
Alright, Sportsnet. I see you, sitting in the bottom right with your Canadian counterpart with the same name (by coincidence, by the way. The two networks aren’t affiliated, just bad at picking names.)
Like other networks in this section, I don’t really hate it. The design isn’t bad at all — it just isn’t wowing me. The design, though it’s been updated a bit over the years, still feels very dated to me. That being said, I don’t hate it at all. Just needs a little modernization somehow.
The Bad
MLB Network
Look, I know you’re the MLB Network, but this logo is a bit “in your face”, don’t you think? This scoreboard is on the top left of the screen, and somehow, always seems to be outdated.
We don’t see MLB Network coverage too much, so I don’t feel like going after this too much — but for the league’s network, you should probably be near the top of this list. But this is just not very good, sadly. The animations are notably some of the worst of any of the scorebugs, too. Needs a full refresh, then we’ll talk.
TBS
Similar to Marquee’s design — this feels very squished. I’m not sure why I’ve never been a fan of TBS’ scorebug, but that feeling still hasn’t changed. It’s busy, the TBS logo just doesn’t look right where it is. It’s just so, so busy. I’m not sure how I’d fix this, but just open it up a bit more. The scorebug is in the top left, so there’s that, I suppose.
Sorry, TBS. But if you’re gonna be on the big stage for national coverage with FOX and the big kids, you need to look the part.
NESN
I mentioned before how I love simple designs for scorebugs. This, is too simple. There’s only one colour. There’s no batter information, just like TBS. And honestly, it’s just boring. At least it’s in the top left? Not sure if I can give that to both you and TBS.
I would have probably put this in the “meh” category, if this wasn’t a newer design. I’m not sure how you take an old design and re-do the whole thing, and somehow improve nothing. It’s almost impressive. Sorry, Red Sox fans. But like with the other sports they cover, NESN really has some catching up to do.
Apple TV+
I’m still not sure if this belongs in the “bad” or “meh” section. But something has me leaning towards hating this scorebug for a couple reasons. Apple has also placed their scorebug in the top left corner.
There’s a fine line between a messy and a clean scorebug design. Apple’s scorebug is sterile. This thing just screams Apple. I’m worried I’m going to need to upgrade my TV before my team isn’t supported by them anymore.
I like that they’re going for the full-on experience, even down to having animations resemble iOS notifications. But, this is a baseball game. Include batter and pitcher info, and get rid of the stupid “probability” stats on the other corner of the screen, seen below.
You’ve got your work cut out for you, Apple. The good news? You have a lot of money to work with, I’d assume.
AT&T Sportsnet
Okay, AT&T. Your scorebug is in the bottom right, which I like. But besides that… it’s disgusting. The colour scheme. The little bubbles for team logos. Did you see the pitcher info bar? I didn’t at first. Why is the count up there too?
The whole design feels rushed. Tear it down and start over. Maybe like the Mariners this past season, this design can come back from the dead and not suck.
YouTube
This design is a major improvement from the original YouTube/MLB scorebug, and that’s not meant to be a compliment. But hey, top left corner location!
Look, it’s just not good. The YouTube logo is pointless. I’m watching the game on YouTube, I know what website I’m on. The whole thing just screams “we stole this from MLB Network!”. And considering the fact that their scorebug isn’t good either, that’s a shame. Steal better next time, I guess.
Bally Sports
You know what happens when you build a scoreboard that takes up the entire bottom portion of my screen? You end up at the bottom of the list. Not that this is numbered by any means, but this scorebug is just not good.
Not just is there half the graphic displaying other scores from around the league — it shows news from different sports altogether. The poor thing can’t focus on one game. And this never goes away, only being replaced as the game goes on with things like stats and facts.
It’s important to note that Bally took over from FOX’s regional networks. So, this scorebug should be pretty good looking. But no matter what sport it is, Bally just hasn’t gotten it right yet. All the stuff is there, but it’s just so poorly displayed. I’m hoping Bally listens to the crowd and tries a do-over.
Well, there you have it. My best, my worst, and everything in between. I’m sure this will change — possibly even before the 2023 season starts, as networks surprise us all with new designs. But for now, that’s all I’ve got.
Think I missed something? Let me know on Twitter!
