If you, like me, spend an irrational amount of your fleeting time on Earth watching huge men brutalize each other in hi-def, you’ll know what I’m talking about: “It’s hard to overstate what this win means for this organization”; “He’s got tremendous basketball IQ”; “You can feel the momentum swinging”; “They’re a real Cinderella story”; “They’ve got that championship swagger”; “They stepped up and made plays”; “These guys have to keep their continuity”; “He makes his presence known on the field.” Et cetera. The silliness of these stock phrases becomes more apparent in a nontelevised context. The next time you get into a heated sports debate, try describing your favorite athlete as “an absolute specimen with great physicality.” For maximum effect, keep a serious expression and maintain eye contact.
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It feels like a lot of announcers and commentators are scared of silence. I think they need to embrace simplicity and the silences.
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There are few things more banal than an interviewer asking a player how a goal was scored....I'd rather here how the player got to the rink, or where he gets his haircut
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English soccer commentators have a nice balance of talking and letting there be small gaps of silence. Of course, many North Americans would probably point to this as one of the many boring things about soccer, but I enjoy that there isn't someone trying to fill every available second with chatter and ridiculous phrases.
Commentary should be supplemental to the game itself, not the focal point. Radio is a bit different as it needs a bit more describing, but there's a reason that Peter Maher is a legend - he doesn't resort to gimmicks and ridiculousness to get attention, he just calls the games. He has earned a tonne of respect because he's not over the top.
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Murray Mexted, is a Kiwi commentator, and this is but just some of this gems.
- "Well, either side could win it, or it could be a draw."
- "You don't like to see hookers going down on players like that."
- "I haven't had a knee operation on any other part of my body."
- "Its all tied up at 14-13"
- "Andy Ellis - the 21 year old, who turned 22 a few weeks ago"
The redundancy of sports commentary
