Baylor University spent $212 million to upgrade its college basketball facility over the last few years. The Bears played their first-ever game at Foster Pavilion on Jan. 2, 2024.
The state-of-the-art fieldhouse holds a capacity of 7,000 and was built entirely with the fans and their viewing experience in mind. Vertical, elevated seats make it feel as though you are sitting right on top of the court, even in the nosebleeds. Two 2,000-square-foot video boards also bookend the hardwood.
Baylor did everything right with Foster Pavilion.
Well… the Bears got almost everything right.
The builders neglected to consider the television camera angle for folks at home. It was absurdly high.
Fans of Baylor or not, viewers were not pleased with the experience because of the ridiculous camera angle. Word eventually got back to the university. It tried to solve the problem by zooming in.
The zoom did not help at all and might’ve actually made things worse.
Having to squint or get nauseous while watching a college basketball game played at a brand-new $212 million arena is not ideal. Even Jon Rothstein chimed in!
Dear Baylor,
Your new arena is beautiful, but the camera angle on TV is the epitome of brutality.
PLEASE FIX ASAP!Sincerely,
— @JonRothstein on X
America
Baylor listened to the concerns and made improvements during the offseason. The eight-ranked Bears will host the 16th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in their home opener on Nov. 9.
College basketball fans will be delighted to know that the camera angle has since been improved. Baylor made it a point of emphasis during the offseason. However, it is now way too low.
A little offseason work 👀
— Baylor Athletics (@BaylorAthletics) October 24, 2024
New Camera Angle Secured 📺#SicEm pic.twitter.com/cbfqlufYtQ
This year’s camera angle is so much better than last year’s camera angle. The difference is night and day. Bears games are no longer unwatchable on television. That’s great news.
Baylor still didn’t get it right. Everyone who was responsible for the $200+ million Foster Pavilion build did a fantastic job with every last detail except for the camera.
As a result, there is apparently no way to provide a normal angle. If the camera goes up top, it is way too high. If it goes down low, like it is now, it is too low. Low is much better than high!