All eyes were on Monday’s Copa América clash between USA and Uruguay from Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.
They did not like what they saw.
From the opening moments of the game, the broadcast on Fox drew visceral reaction on social media from viewers noting the less-than-professional presentation of a high-stakes international soccer game.
The problem? The camera angle was off. Way off.
Rather than a standard lower angle allows viewers to actually identify the players on the field, this game looked on TV as if it was being broadcast from a drone or a blimp high above the playing field. The reaction was so intense that Fox play-by-play announcer Stu Holden addressed it minutes into the game. He placed the blame on the CONMEBOL world feed that feeds video to the Fox broadcast.
Here’s a look at the broadcast alongside Holden’s commentary:
“This is not a stadium for ants, Holden joked. “This is a very high camera angle for the CONMEBOL world feed. … For the tactics junkies, I’m sure this is great.”
For comparison, here’s a screenshot of the broadcast from Monday’s other Copa América game between Bolivia and from Orlando. This is what a soccer broadcast is supposed to look like:
The jokes were fast and furious on social media with some suggesting that the camera angle was from the moon:
Fox’s overhead camera angle for US-Uruguay appears to be on the moon.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand)
Or on drugs:
THIS CAMERA ANGLE IS ON DRUGS
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers)
Or from a blimp:
Why are they using a blimp as the main overhead camera for USA-Uruguay?
— Colin Deaver (@ColinDeaverTV)
The Goodyear Blimp chimed in and confirmed that it was not providing the much-chastised feed:
Not sure if we should be flattered or offended but to answer all of you at once: no, we are not covering the USMNT game tonight.
— Goodyear Blimp (@GoodyearBlimp)
The jokes kept coming with references to video games, “,” and All-22 feeds used by football coaches and analysts to watch every player on the field at once:
This is an incredible Football Manager camera angle
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris)
kinda looks like FOX is broadcasting this game from where the chiefs film their all-22 lol
— charles (“you look good” – andy reid) mcdonald (@FourVerts)
What’s up with Fox’s video game camera angle?
— Joe Lago (@joelago)
Sorry, soccer fans. This camera angle is meant for touchdown passes from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce, not and Uruguay.
— Safid Deen 💯💯💯💯 (@Safid_Deen)
Is the overhead camera in the US- Uruguay soccer game positioned on the space station?
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz)
Camera angle for this USA game at Arrowhead is from Jordan Love’s mom’s seat
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman)
Biggest US game of the cycle and we are watching from a drone floating just off the second Ring of Uranus. If you love this team and suffer from Vertigo, you are going to face a long, long night
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers)
I may have successfully talked my wife into a new gigantic TV. Thanks !
— Brett Bensley (@brettbensley)
By the 39th minute, Fox had heard enough. The broadcast abruptly switched to a more traditional angle at the 38:31 mark with the game tied at 0-0.
Social media approved:
NEW CAMERA ANGLE. I REPEAT. NEW CAMERA ANGLE.
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers)
Did Twitter just bully CONMEBOL into finding a new camera angle 40 minutes into the game? Interesting
— Johannes Schneider (@jocoolwu)