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Canada does it 1st!
In 1955, CBS's director George Retzlaff replays a kinescope recording of a goal on "Hockey Night in Canada" -
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The Rise of American Football
Thanks in large part to instant replay and 'freeze frame' capabilities. American Football, especially Monday night football becaome immensly popular. Before these techniques were perfected, watching football on television was merely a substitute for going to the game. Marshall McLuhan, has noted that the advent of instant replay marked a "post-convergent moment" in television: creating an experience ONLY possible on television. -
A day that will live in infamy...
The instant replay comes to America. December 7, 1963. “This is not live! Ladies and gentlemen, Army did not score again.” Commentator Lindsey Nelson's famous words were neccessary as the first use of this new technology surprised many people. Navy beat Army 21-15. -
Please refrain!
The International Football Association Board requested that television authorities NOT broadcast any slowmotion playback that might reflect negatively on any call made by the referees.
This attitude has persisted through the decades. In 2005, the General Secratary of FIFA stated, "Players, coaches and referees all make mistakes. It's part of the game....football's human element must be retained. It mirrors life itself and we have to protect it." -
Blues strike out...
In a game between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves, the scoreboard operator elected to replay a controversial call, one which showed fans at the field that the umpire's call was clearly wrong. The four-man crew left the game in protest. Baseball has since taken serious descretion with which plays can be replayed during the game -
"The future ain't what it used to be." - Yogi Berra
MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth declared, “There will not be instant replay of any sort. We’re just not going to do it. The umpires making split-second decisions is part of the flavor of the game. We don’t want to lose that flavor. You can make a dish so bland that it’s not worth sitting down at the table.” This again shows baseball's value on the human element, similar to the attitude of soccer officials. -
Challenge Accepted
For the 1999 NFL season a replay system was devised giving coaches the option to challenge on field rulings. By throwing a red flag before a subsequent play from scrimmage is run, the coach calls for a review of the play in question. In order to streamline the process a few stipulations were required. 1. No challenges after the 2-minute warning. 2. Officials have only 60 seconds to review video footage. 3. Incontrovertable evidence must be found to overturn existing rulings. -
Walk the Walk, Hawk the Hawk...
Hawk-Eye, a computer system using triangulation and multiple high-speed cameras to track ball trajectories is developed and put to use in cricket and tennis matches in 2005. -
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Buzzer Beater
Kobe BryantDuring the 2001-02 season instant replay was integrated into the NBA to discern wheather or not the ball had left a shooter's hand before time expires. It later grew to encompass flagrant fouls, as well as determine 2 or 3 points when a shooter's foot was on the line. It is also used during the final 2 minutes of the game and OT to help officials determine who touched an out of bounds ball last. -
Replay goes to school
College FB adopts instant replay as a way to help officials determine some calls. -
The Imperfect Game
Watch Jim Joyce blow it. Jim Joyce's ahem horrendous call robs Tiger pitcher Armando Gallaraga of baseball's most difficult feat - the perfect game. This slipup once again made the case for instant replay in MLB games. -
Into the future...
The instant replay has allowed broadcasters to not only show games, but tell stories. Closeup expressions, emotions, bone-jarring hits, diving catches. The dirt, sweat, joy and pain all can be seen with instant replay and innovative camera work. It has also given referees a greater measure of accuracy when making calls at high speed. I hope however that we never let machines and computers do ALL the work for us, as humanity is a part of sport - athlete and official.
