Sports fans worldwide are immediately hating the new FOX broadcast scoreboard.
FOX broadcasted Super Bowl LIX live from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. NFL legend Tom Brady is returning to the big game, this time as a commentator.
FOX recently aired Super Bowl LVII in 2023, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in a high-scoring thriller.
The same teams face off on the network this year but with a new controversial aesthetic.
Fox's Scoreboard Design Is Questionable
As part of the Super Bowl LIX broadcast, FOX unveiled a never-before-seen scoreboard at the bottom of the screen.
For comparison, here is a look at this year's broadcast next to last year's on CBS. There are some clear differences, including FOX going for a transparent, spread-out design without any team logos:
Viewers instantly reacted, hating on the new design. Ethan Starr on X wrote it "looks like someone made it in Microsoft Excel with WordArt:"
"This Super Bowl scoreboard graphic looks like someone made it in Microsoft Excel with WordArt"
Poking fun at the Super Bowl name, @iamveryserio posted on X that this scoreboard would be more appropriate for the "Regular Plate:"
"This scoreboard is TERRIBLE! Super Bowl more like Regular Plate."
Piling on the disdain, @BC3Putts wonders if there's never been a worse scoreboard:
"Is this the worst scoreboard in Super Bowl history?"
Another reason for the outrage is that many fans believe 2023's FOX broadcast scoreboard was top tier.
Popular NFL aesthetic X account, NFL Fashion Advice, suggested bringing back the logos to "keep an open mind:"
"Replace the abbreviations with the beveled logos and I'm willing to keep an open mind."
Many quickly argued that the minimalist approach, lacking team logos, feels like a change made just for the sake of changing rather than improving the viewing experience.
Some compared it to video game graphics, with Mo Egger on X wondering if FOX borrowed it "from an Atari video game:"
"Trying to determine if Fox is borrowing its scorebug from a public access channel or from an Atari video game."
On the same video game trend, The Smoking Musket feels that it looks like FOX "couldn't [afford] licensing the full team names:"
"This scorebug looks like it's from a video game where they couldn't affording licensing the full team names."
While a few defended the simplicity, the consensus seems to be that FOX’s latest update is unnecessary and visually unappealing.
Away from the action, learn what trailers are expected to air during Super Bowl LIX.
