Comments on: If You Don’t Know, Don’t Speak

By: dullgeek

dullgeek — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:47:32 +0000

Ok. So 3 weeks later, I’m still thinking about this. Sorry for the late commentary.

A few years ago, my son was in pop warner football. They asked for a ton of volunteers for a myriad of different things. The one that nobody seemed to want and that seemed like it would be the easiest was to sit on top of a small scaffold with a microphone and a PA and announce the games. Since I was going to watch them anyway, seemed like the easiest job. I was surprised it was still available.

After the first couple of weeks, I discovered why it was available. That job is hard. Talking and staying on top of what is happening, and getting player names and numbers matched up, and announcing yardage, all while being quick and accurate and not monotone, was much harder than I thought it would be. I turned out to be absolutely terrible at it. Fortunately for me, none of the other parents minded because they all knew how much that job sucked and they were just glad they weren’t doing it.

I think of that when I listen to sports announcers, and radio personalities, and anyone who has to speak publically and react on the fly to what’s happening. It’s a *LOT* harder than it seems. The fact that the announcers make as few mistakes as they do is incredible to me. The fact that they can just keep the names straight given that they’re calling different teams every weak is very impressive. And yes, they’re professionals. But so are the players on the field, and they make mistakes, too.

My (longwinded) point: It’s a hard job. Mistakes are inevitable. You might be less frustrated if you can accept that rather than expecting perfection.

$0.02

By: John Rehor

John Rehor — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:50:49 +0000

For me its the high expectations that are placed on everything associated with the NFL. As the most popular sport in the country, every aspect of it is scrutinized, including their announcers. High quality is praised, and mistakes stick out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately, the mistakes occur more often than they should. Sure mistakes are part of life, and each of us do them on a daily basis. But few reach as many people as an NFL game, so when they make a mistake, it seems bigger than the seemingly insignificant ones we make.

Again its just my opinion, but hopefully this clarifies where I’m coming from a bit

By: dullgeek

dullgeek — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:19:19 +0000

Sure that’s their job, but people make mistakes. I know that I make mistakes in my job. I just hope that my mistakes are manageable and that I learn from them. Saying that McCarthy followed Holmgren seems like one of those mistakes that just doesn’t matter that much.

I guess I’m just having a hard time getting worked up over this. I appreciate the passion, but I don’t seem able to match it.

By: John Rehor

John Rehor — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:03:53 +0000

It gets increasingly difficult for me to watch a game because of the announcers. The errors they make is part of it-the other part is there is such a drop off from the so called number one pair to the 2nd, 3rd, etc. By the time you get to the 4th announcing team, it sounds like a high school game being called in some cases. Its frustrating beyond belief.

By: John Rehor

John Rehor — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:58:37 +0000

Think Zach means its sickening because it’s their job to be accurate in announcing factual information to the viewers, yet on a regular basis either the wrong information is given or key information is left out.

But you’d have to ask Zach what he meant

By: dullgeek

dullgeek — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:30:19 +0000

Sickening? Really? It seemed to me like a minor mistake. Was he wrong, yeah. But so what? Was this mistake really that significant? It’s not like he wrongly announced a nuclear attack which caused widespread panic.

I’m just glad that my minor mistakes aren’t broadcast to the world.

By: Christian

Christian — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:34:42 +0000

It’s not even those small silly mistakes they make during the broadcast. They also say the most stupid stuff on a regular basis. On one play the praise one action, while on the next they say the complete opposite.
I wish I could just turn off the commentators without having to turn off the sound from the stadium and from the field too. It’s the same with the other sport I watch live regularly (football, for you US boys “soccer”). Everytime I go to a live game in person I notice how much nier it is to watch it without any “wise” commentator babble about it.

By: Zach KRuse

Zach KRuse — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:11:35 +0000

Couldn’t agree more, John. Happens every week in almost every game. It’s sickening. It’s also the reason why I ALWAYS listen to Wayne and Larry and mute the TV, no matter what the time lapse. I’d rather hear what those two say six seconds before I see it than listen to FOX announcers who don’t know what the hell they are talking about.

By: John Rehor

John Rehor — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:48:09 +0000

By: Kris Burke

Kris Burke — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:39:58 +0000

I still shudder at that photo.

By: John Rehor

John Rehor — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:00:48 +0000

When the going gets tough…………………………………..

The tough get going

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8lT1o0sDwI

By: John Rehor

John Rehor — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:39:28 +0000

It is not pawsitive to confuse Holmgren and McCarthy. McCarthy always had the inferior moustache

By: Ceallaigh

Ceallaigh — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:38:22 +0000

…and when the Germans bombed the unsuspecting troops at Pearl Harbor…

By: Jayme

Jayme — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:26:22 +0000

I don’t think they made that mistake. They were trying to say that Rodgers wasn’t the only one who had to replace someone who had done really well with the Packers. Favre to Rodgers; Holmgren to McCarthy. I suppose they could have been trying to say that the Holmgren legacy remained – which it didn’t, and just didn’t articulate that properly. But, imo, they definitely meant Holmgren.

By: John Rehor

John Rehor — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:15:30 +0000

I wouldn’t say they are horrible, but misinformed most definitely. And since Packers fans are the most informed fans

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/.....87369.html

We tend to catch every mistake, even the smallest ones