We've seen this before

Okay, let's get one thing straight here. While I'm really impressed by what a killing Princeton Video Image has made thanks to innovations such as the new first-down line, we need to give credit where credit is due.

Anyone who grew up with Nintendo knows this line existed long before anyone had heard of PVI.

Of the many factors that made Nintendo's famed 'Tecmo Bowl' game better than actual football, the dotted stripe that crossed the screen representing the first-down marker was pretty high on the list.

No need to figure out what yard line a player was on, then quickly subtract the number of yards he needed for a first down. All the game-player had to do was see if the ball and player crossed the dotted line — quick and simple.

Still, while the networks' failure to heed crucial trends in video-game football may have forced fans to endure extra years of inferior coverage, I give television credit for finally coming through. The first-down line is certainly a step up from most of sports broadcasting's other visual "aids."

Anyone that follows ice hockey knows exactly where I'm going next — FOX's glowing puck.

Where do you even begin to discuss this abomination? For one thing, the glowing circle makes the puck look almost as big as a soccer ball. Furthermore, the little tail that follows it around the ice tends to disappear briefly at crucial moments, such as when the puck changes direction while deflecting off a goaltender.

Football has seen similar debacles. Nobody disputes John Madden's knowledge of football's subtleties, like the advanced blocking schemes used by modern offenses. ("And he comes here . . . BOOM!") Still, while Madden remains one of sports' most popular broadcasters, letting him actually draw on the television screen during games is about as sensible as giving your four-year-old a can of spray paint and telling him to repaint anything in your new house that "looks faded."

During one particularly brutal episode a few years ago, he actually used CBS's chalkboard feature to diagram a place-kicker's special shoe that was already on the screen, clear for the whole audience to see. (You mean the cleats are on the bottom? No wonder he just drilled that 56-yarder. Thanks, John!)

Fortunately, the first-down line avoids a similar debacle by conforming to what should be a general rule of sports broadcasting: less is more.

Despite its bright color, the first-down line isn't ostentatious. It allows you a more informed viewing of the game without distracting you from other happenings on the field.

Furthermore, the line's role is dictated only by the action on the field (and cannot be manipulated by self-absorbed announcers). By definition, it must remain in the same spot for at least the duration of play. In fact, it only comes into the picture at all if the offensive team can advance the ball the requisite number of yards.

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Maybe this won't last. Maybe someday, a marketing executive will come up with a new line — one that explodes whenever a ballcarrier crosses it or something. But for now, football fans can rejoice.

Although Nintendo beat it by a decade, it appears that television has finally gotten it right.

Noah Trister is a 'Prince' sports editor from Washington, D.C.