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Copa América: Internet roasts Fox for bizarre USA-Uruguay camera angle, prompting a change mid-game: 'Are they using a blimp?'

jason owens
Staff writer
·4 min read
97
Fans at Arrowhead Stadium had a considerably better view Monday night than those at home. (Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Fans at Arrowhead Stadium had a considerably better view Monday night than those at home. (Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

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 Uruguay's 1-0 win that eliminated USA in group play, 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 that 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 Panama from Orlando. This is what a soccer broadcast is supposed to look like:

Yahoo Sports/Nick Bromberg
Yahoo Sports/Nick Bromberg

The jokes were fast and furious on social media with some suggesting that the camera angle was from the moon:

Or on drugs:

Or from a blimp:

The Goodyear Blimp chimed in and confirmed that it was, in fact, not providing the much-chastised feed:

The jokes kept coming with references to video games, "Zoolander," and All-22 feeds used by football coaches and analysts to watch every player on the field at once:

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: