85 years ago on May 17th, 1939
The first televised sporting event takes place at Columbia University
The NBC broadcast featured the Columbia Lions playing the Princeton Tigers. The two college baseball teams were filmed with a single camera along the third base line at Columbia University's Baker Field and broadcast on an experimental NBC frequency to an estimated 400 television sets in the broadcast area that were capable of picking up the signal. The location had been chosen because it was relatively clear of tall buildings that could obstruct the signals from the broadcast antennas.
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