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Yes, we are officially at this point in the offseason.
The draft is still two weeks away because why would the NFL move that up a few weeks when every show will spend a month wondering what time Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders used the toilet this morning? Lord in Heaven, this time of year is the worst, and I will not be argued with on it - it's awful.
So, since I already put a fork in mock drafts with the Dumbest Mock Draft (go read that, please and thank you), I was left with trying to find something somewhat topical yet fun that people would enjoy. Then, I saw a post on X about how Fox used to look great on TV with their vintage graphics. That, combined with the fact that the Eagles' Super Bowl win was almost overshadowed by how bad the scorebug was, made this list a fun one to look into making. So, enjoy this 2000s nostalgia trip as we rank the best scorebugs of all time.
This kicked off the era of Monday Night Football on ESPN, and the scorebug was lovely. Didn't take up much of the screen, looked unique, had enough branding to make it stand apart from the other stations, and just looked good.
There will be several Fox features on this list, and the first one is one of the most classic looks from a great period. Summerall. Madden. Thanksgiving Day. Randy Moss is going off for three scores. That is the game you think of immediately when you see this scorebug.
The detail that Fox would put into this particular scorebug was fun. Around Christmas, the timeout markers would turn to different colored Christmas lights, and a smiling pile of snow with active snowfall would appear on top. The regular scorebug itself, though, is also very good. I love a top corner bug over a bottom-of-the-screen look, and this one nailed that.
Nothing too flashy here with the NFL on CBS look of the early 2000s, but the real star of the show was the spinning helmet graphics that led into the game.
A great overall presentation, and perhaps CBS' best overall in terms of in-game graphics.
A lot of this list features older scorebugs, but the one CBS currently uses is actually great. Good, bold pop from the team colors and logos, but not obnoxiously large. I like it a lot.
ESPN had several good scorebugs in the mid-to-late 2000s when they secured the rights for Monday Night Football, but this one in 2010 sticks out as the best. Good logo incorporation, nothing too gawdy, a nice greyscale color palette - perfectly executed and unique.
FOX had a similar style of the header scorebug (one we will get to shortly), but this one is most synonymous with the brand, as they had this particular style for four seasons and witnessed several classic games with this specific scorebug. Brett Favre's last game as a Viking, Super Bowl XLII, the 2009 NFC Championship Game - several high-quality games that were played in this specific era.
Look at that masterpiece. When Fox acquired the rights to air NFL games, they came out swinging with some of the best graphics ever put on screen. Simplicity with the scorebug, but they get bonus points for these team graphics.
Pure nirvana. If you want to argue this should be No. 1, I won't argue with you. But there are two that stand out to me, personally.
The first iteration of NBC's Sunday Night Football scorebug was their best work. Look at it and tell me it doesn't feel important. They say you can't hear pictures, but I hear Al Michaels and John Madden when I see this scorebug. An instant classic at the time, and one that has aged gracefully.
This is the best of the best. A simple yet classic look. Team logos are incorporated into a simple banner that utilizes the entire screen. People may say, "Oh, it's just nostalgia." And while that is certainly part of it, it's also just great. More and more as time goes on, it becomes evident that we are nostalgic about things like this because they are simply better. On top of that, it's emblematic of a specific era that we all hold in high regard. Personally speaking, I was very young during this era, and this is when I fell in love with football. I would wake up every Sunday with cartoons on until Noon when Fox NFL Sunday began, watching the pregame show, and then watching games with this scorebug. The nostalgia factor is real, but look at this scorebug compared to every other one over the last decade, or hell, even the last three months when Fox debuted this fart salad of a graphic.
Things simply used to be better, and this is a prime example of that. Fox should seriously revisit this and pretend Super Bowl LIX never happened.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: NFL Rankings: Top 10 on-screen scoreboards from worst to first
Continue reading...
The draft is still two weeks away because why would the NFL move that up a few weeks when every show will spend a month wondering what time Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders used the toilet this morning? Lord in Heaven, this time of year is the worst, and I will not be argued with on it - it's awful.
So, since I already put a fork in mock drafts with the Dumbest Mock Draft (go read that, please and thank you), I was left with trying to find something somewhat topical yet fun that people would enjoy. Then, I saw a post on X about how Fox used to look great on TV with their vintage graphics. That, combined with the fact that the Eagles' Super Bowl win was almost overshadowed by how bad the scorebug was, made this list a fun one to look into making. So, enjoy this 2000s nostalgia trip as we rank the best scorebugs of all time.
10. ESPN (2006)
This kicked off the era of Monday Night Football on ESPN, and the scorebug was lovely. Didn't take up much of the screen, looked unique, had enough branding to make it stand apart from the other stations, and just looked good.
9. FOX (1998-00)
There will be several Fox features on this list, and the first one is one of the most classic looks from a great period. Summerall. Madden. Thanksgiving Day. Randy Moss is going off for three scores. That is the game you think of immediately when you see this scorebug.
8. FOX (2010-11)
The detail that Fox would put into this particular scorebug was fun. Around Christmas, the timeout markers would turn to different colored Christmas lights, and a smiling pile of snow with active snowfall would appear on top. The regular scorebug itself, though, is also very good. I love a top corner bug over a bottom-of-the-screen look, and this one nailed that.
7. CBS (2002-05)
Nothing too flashy here with the NFL on CBS look of the early 2000s, but the real star of the show was the spinning helmet graphics that led into the game.
A great overall presentation, and perhaps CBS' best overall in terms of in-game graphics.
6. CBS (Current)
A lot of this list features older scorebugs, but the one CBS currently uses is actually great. Good, bold pop from the team colors and logos, but not obnoxiously large. I like it a lot.
5. ESPN (2010)
ESPN had several good scorebugs in the mid-to-late 2000s when they secured the rights for Monday Night Football, but this one in 2010 sticks out as the best. Good logo incorporation, nothing too gawdy, a nice greyscale color palette - perfectly executed and unique.
4. FOX (2006-09)
FOX had a similar style of the header scorebug (one we will get to shortly), but this one is most synonymous with the brand, as they had this particular style for four seasons and witnessed several classic games with this specific scorebug. Brett Favre's last game as a Viking, Super Bowl XLII, the 2009 NFC Championship Game - several high-quality games that were played in this specific era.
3. FOX (1994-95)
Look at that masterpiece. When Fox acquired the rights to air NFL games, they came out swinging with some of the best graphics ever put on screen. Simplicity with the scorebug, but they get bonus points for these team graphics.
Pure nirvana. If you want to argue this should be No. 1, I won't argue with you. But there are two that stand out to me, personally.
2. Sunday Night Football on NBC (2006-08)
The first iteration of NBC's Sunday Night Football scorebug was their best work. Look at it and tell me it doesn't feel important. They say you can't hear pictures, but I hear Al Michaels and John Madden when I see this scorebug. An instant classic at the time, and one that has aged gracefully.
1. FOX (2002)
This is the best of the best. A simple yet classic look. Team logos are incorporated into a simple banner that utilizes the entire screen. People may say, "Oh, it's just nostalgia." And while that is certainly part of it, it's also just great. More and more as time goes on, it becomes evident that we are nostalgic about things like this because they are simply better. On top of that, it's emblematic of a specific era that we all hold in high regard. Personally speaking, I was very young during this era, and this is when I fell in love with football. I would wake up every Sunday with cartoons on until Noon when Fox NFL Sunday began, watching the pregame show, and then watching games with this scorebug. The nostalgia factor is real, but look at this scorebug compared to every other one over the last decade, or hell, even the last three months when Fox debuted this fart salad of a graphic.
Things simply used to be better, and this is a prime example of that. Fox should seriously revisit this and pretend Super Bowl LIX never happened.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: NFL Rankings: Top 10 on-screen scoreboards from worst to first
Continue reading...
