by Jacob Berry
I get into the office two hours until
practice. I grab my practice
schedule. I format my tapes. I grab my battery. I grab my camera and head towards the
practice field. I go up in my scissor
lift to check it. I come down and
wait. Wait until the players and coaches
start practice. And then I film. I come down in my lift once the head coach
blows his whistle to signal the end of practice. I put my camera up and battery back onto the
charger. I input my tapes into the
computer software. I head home for the
day.
I
am a student working for the football video staff at Middle Tennessee State
University. This is how my day looks
2:00-6:00 p.m. every day from August to December as well as March and April for spring
practice. The work of a football video
guy is not a glamorous one. It’s very
repetitive. It’s everyday with no days
off. It’s a job I love.
The Football Evolution
Football is a sport that is constantly
evolving. Offenses have gone from the
wishbone to the spread. Players are
becoming faster and stronger. Every
aspect of football continues to evolve and grow, including video technology. From coaches watching games on a roll of film
to coaches watching a game on an iPad 30 minutes after the game concludes,
video continues to influence the football world. Knowing about football and about video
technology, I can see the two headed towards making a huge impact in the sports
business industry.
Anyone
that follows sports in America knows that football is king. Baseball may be our pastime, but football is
the present and future. Both the college
and professional levels bring in billions of dollars every year. Fans are more engaged than ever before. Coaches are more pressured to win than ever
before. This results in doing whatever
to keep fans happy, which results in them buying merchandise and tickets. This also results in giving coaches
everything needed to win.
Football
fans today are so engaged with their teams. There is no longer such thing as an offseason. Fans are fans year round. Recruiting, signing day, and spring practice
are eaten up by hungry college football fans. The same for NFL fans with the combine, draft, and minicamps. In order to give these fans what they want
year round, technology has to be used, especially video technology. College football fans can now go online and
watch film of a high school recruit. To
think an ordinary fan would be able to do this 20 years ago would be
insane. Signing Day is now a televised
event on multiple sports networks, like ESPN. Most big time college football teams have their spring game televised! The NFL, of course, has its own network to
broadcast the combine, draft, and minicamps footage around the league.
Emergence of Video in Football
I believe this is just the tip of the
iceberg. Fans have been given a small
taste and now they are wanting the whole meal. Video in sports is going to explode and expand even more than thought possible. Just this year, the University of Georgia
live streamed its first practice of fall camp. The access that video technology can give to fans is insane. As many people know, the University of Texas
has its own network. I think that many
teams are going to follow in the not so distant future. A network designed specifically to broadcast
your favorite team 24/7. Networks such
as these need people. They will need
producers, cameramen, and editors. The
possibilities for jobs that this business could produce is endless. Video technology is going to be on the
forefront of the growth of football as a business in America. It’s going to improve means by which fans can
keep up with their team. It’s going to
improve how coaches watch film and prepare.
It’s going to change the entire sport industry.
So
as I grab my camera, batteries, and tapes for practice, I know that I am in the
middle of the storm that is about to hit the sport industry.
Bio:
I am a senior at Middle Tennessee State
University. Ever since my first semester
at MTSU, I have worked on the video staff for the university’s football
team. I came into college with not much
video experience, but I have gained much in my time at MTSU. The opportunities I have had working for the
football team are some of the most valuable I have ever experienced. My passion for football and video have led me
to want to continue my career working with video and sports. My goal is to become a video coordinator for
a professional or big-time college program. I have been in contact with multiple teams, and hope to land an
internship with a program next year.
