|
|
|
|
Sportscaster
|
| |
|
| |
A sportscaster (also sports announcer, sports commentator or sports presenter) is a type of journalist on radio and/or television who specializes in reporting or commentating on sporting events. Sportscasting is often done live, "in real-time". In British English the terms sportscaster and sports announcer are not used; the usual terms are sports commentator, presenter, or broadcaster.
Sportscaster is also a primarily American English term for sports newsreader — someone who reads the sports news.
Roles of sportscasters
Sportscasters can be defined into two narrow categories.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Sportscaster' Start a new discussion about 'Sportscaster' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
A sportscaster (also sports announcer, sports commentator or sports presenter) is a type of journalist on radio and/or television who specializes in reporting or commentating on sporting events. Sportscasting is often done live, "in real-time". In British English the terms sportscaster and sports announcer are not used; the usual terms are sports commentator, presenter, or broadcaster.
Sportscaster is also a primarily American English term for sports newsreader — someone who reads the sports news.
Roles of sportscasters
Sportscasters can be defined into two narrow categories. Play-by-play announcers are the primary speakers, valued for their articulateness and ability to describe the events of an often fast-moving event. Color commentators are valued for experience and insight into the game, and are often asked questions by the play-by-play announcer to give them a topic for analysis. The latter most often have gained their experience in the sport as a player and/or coach, while the former is more likely to be a professional broadcast journalist than a participant in the sport, although there are numerous exceptions to these general trends.
The most common format for a television broadcast is to have one of each type. An example is NBC Sunday Night Football, which is called by John Madden, a former head coach, and Al Michaels, a professional announcer. In the United Kingdom however there is a much less distinct division between play-by-play and color commentary, although two-man commentary teams usually feature an enthusiast with formal journalistic training but little or no competitive experience leading the commentary, and an expert former (or current) competitor following up with analysis or summary. There are however exceptions to this - all of the United Kingdom's major cricket and snooker commentators are former professionals in their sports, while the legendary Formula One racing commentator Murray Walker had no formal journalistic training and only limited racing experience of his own.
Another difference between the two types is that color commentators will almost always announce only the sport they come from, while play-by-play announcers - such as Michaels, Mike Patrick and David Coleman - may have careers in which they call several different sports at one time or another. However, Brad Daugherty, a former professional basketball player, currently appears on coverage of NASCAR auto racing on ESPN.
Although the combination of a play-by-play announcer and one or more color commentators is standard today, in the past it was much more common for a play-by-play announcer to work alone. Vin Scully, longtime announcer for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, is one of few examples of this practice still existing today.
See also
External links
- - An internet database of (mostly) American sportscasters.
- - An internet radio show that interviews America's top sports announcers. Hosted by writer and sports broadcasting historian John Lewis.
|
| |
|
|
