Sports + Science= Sweetness

Stats.  They can be a sports journalist’s best friend. But if (over)used and abused, they can make an audience prefer fingernails on a chalkboard.  Stats are a touchy bunch.

Sport Science takes a unique look at the science
and engineering behind athletic performances and events

While others struggle to mend the relationships they have with the arrays of confusing numbers and decimal points, Sport Science has joined in a healthy matrimony with good ol’ statistics…and this union signifies a new and effective way to cover sports.  (All single sports broadcasters should start taking notes.)

Want to know how many decibels of noise you need to make to cause the opposing team to experience “fatigue and irritability?”  Check out Sport Science. 

Want to know whether Chicago Bears punt returner Devin Hester can run faster than an actual bear?  Check out Sport Science. 

Want to know how much your reaction time decreases after spending 15 minutes in 10-degree weather? Check out Sport Science. 

Brenkus is co-CEO of BASE productions
and host of Sport Science

Sport Science is produced by BASE Productions and originally began airing on Fox Sports Net.  But in 2010, ESPN smartly signed on, realizing the potential behind the genius of John Brenkus, BASE co-CEO, and his production staff.

Because the goal of the Sport Science series is to “uncover sports' biggest myths and mysteries by using cutting-edge technology,” the average segment is loaded with numbers and stats.  While the local sportswriter is probably saying, “Why can’t I get away with that?” Sport Science is reveling in the unchartered territory it has made for itself in the sports broadcasting world.

It’s appealing for many reasons: It’s quirky.  It’s fun.  Sometimes it’s fascinating.  But most importantly, it’s different.  Today, media consumers are on a constant quest for more in-depth, behind-the-scenes coverage.  Sport Science gives viewers information they never imagined they’d get, yet once it’s fed to them, they can’t imagine having never gotten it.  For some reason, a true sports fan’s life is more complete knowing that Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald can indeed catch passes upside down:

But not everybody’s on the bandwagon.  Rhett Allain, a professor of physics at Southwestern Louisiana University, complained on his blog that Sport Science “kills one physicist at a time” after a segment that suggested Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is literally as fast as a bolt of lightning:

This seems to be Sport Science’s gimmick:

• Find some cool sports phenomena
• Get some number from that. Really, this could be ANYTHING that you want.
• Find some way of comparing that number to something AMAZING.
• If your number doesn’t have a good match, find a different number and try again.

Let’s face it: The average sports fan will never be able to double-check the accuracy of the Sport Science calculations. And yes, the cheesiness from Brenkus, who hosts each segment, can get a bit thick at times.  But the series can, by focusing on current stars or sporting events, actually provide unique insight into both already-explored and unexplored topics. 

Plus, we should be happy that lots and lots of stats have finally found a suitable partner.