Sport and the audio slideshow

We’re all very familiar with certain iconic sporting images. Even if you’re not a big sports fan, you’ll have struggled to avoid ever seeing Bobby Moore hoisting aloft the World Cup in 1966, Gazza crying into his shirt or Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston out cold on the canvas. Sporting photos have a strong tradition, even in a largely televised industry.

So, with this enduring quality they possess, can they translate to the audio slideshow? If you check out the BBC Sport, Guardian or Metro websites after a significant sporting event, you’ll find that many media outfits have already taken to the practice of slideshows to display event that they don’t always have the rights to. Indeed, many of them are accompanied by lines explaining what’s happening in the picture.

The industry is part-way there, but there remains that leap to actually producing an audio slideshow. With that in mind, I gave it a crack to see how well it might work, and with the England football team in action against Wales this weekend, it seemed the perfect opportunity:

(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)

Okay, so as with my earlier efforts, it’s no masterpiece, but I think it illustrates the idea that I’m trying to put across. In an industry where video rights are not always shared, the audio slideshow could be a way of bringing sporting images to life.

So let us know what you thought of my attempts in the comments box below – did you feel it gave an extra dimension to the images? Or is audio an unnecessary addition that merely distracts from the stills? Have you got a better idea? Let us know below or via our twitter @visvox.