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Walk and Talk with Pat Walker - July 2008
Walk and Talk (July 2008)
By Pat Walker, President Pat Walker Productions
NBA Playoffs
The Fine Line Between Entertainment and Oversaturization
For the first time in seven seasons, I spent the past couple of months watching the NBA playoffs purely as a fan and I must admit - I really, really enjoyed it.
Perhaps it was the mental disassociation of not immediately prepping for the next game, round or season as it was when I was working for a team.
Perhaps it was a welcome distraction from the legal cases that will ultimately decide whether the team that I grew up with (and started my career at) will stay in the Emerald City or be whisked away to Oklahoma City.
Perhaps it was a desire to see a story book ending for three future Hall of Famers who, up until this point, had been superstars on subpar teams - one of which I knew from first hand experience was one of the best game ops supporters in the industry.
Or perhaps it was the rebirth of the greatest sports rivalry around. Whatever the reason, it was fun - a lot of fun.
However, as I watched games in various markets, I noticed that at times, the in-arena show (most specifically the audio levels) tended to bleed out the broadcast to the point of distraction. I realize that crowds are much louder in the playoffs, but this was usually not the crowd causing the audio override, but rather the crowd prompts.
As with every sensory item, I got used to it after a bit, but it got me thinking about the concept and I came up with a quick list of suggestions for teams as they prepare to move from the regular season into the games that really count - no matter the sport. After all, as a game ops crew, we want to create a strong home court (field, ice, etc) advantage - while still maintaining respect for the game.
A quick look at Playoff Game Ops 101:
1. Don't attempt to override your crowd - Chances are, your crowd will be hot from the get go - even as early as pre-game warm-ups. Let them dictate the audio levels for the game and avoid the temptation to raise the level of your prompts so they are audible above the crowd. Let's face it, if the manufactured "de-fense" chant is being drowned out beyond recognition because your crowd is well above 100 on the decibel meter, that's a good problem to have.
2. Keep your video production fresh and timely - This can be very challenging in the tight scheduling of a playoff series - but very impactful. When possible, create hype videos that showcase highlights from the previous game or current series. Rivalries are instantly created in the playoffs and by picking emotional songs (Carmina Burana's "O Fortuna" is a classic) cut to the right clips, you can set the tone for the battle that's about to take place.
3. Recognize the playoff atmosphere and anticipate accordingly - I was watching a game with a friend a few weeks ago and ESPN's Michelle Tafoya was commenting on the fact that some home teams showed shots on the JumboTron of opposing players during the National Anthem - which elicited boos from the playoff crowd during a point in the game designed to pay tribute to our country. This is something we do all the time during the regular season with no issue at all, but it gets a completely different reaction from a crowd during the playoffs. The lesson here is that we need to evaluate every aspect of our game presentation and anticipate how the crowd will react in a heightened environment.
4. Cue up your "home run" calls - and don't be afraid to use them early In the playoffs, you never know when you're going to get a second chance. Have your entire arsenal of music bumps, props, mascot skits, performance groups, and the like ready to go...and use them early and often. If your team is on a run and you're asking yourself if it might be the right situation to bump coming out of the timeout, the answer is always yes in the playoffs. Keep the crowd going, they'll never get too much - it's win or go home.
5. Keep your scripting flexible - Typically, the load of "mandatory" items that flow down from your sponsorship and marketing departments lighten a bit when the playoffs arrive - so take advantage of it. Don't feel obligated to fill the script with elements, but instead keep some flexibility. You can usually count on at least 2-3 hot timeouts per game (if not more), so by scripting fewer elements, you maintain the ability to move things around as the game goes along and call it according to the energy of the crowd...which will generally result in a great playoff atmosphere.
Pat Walker
Pat Walker Productions
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