Do sport broadcasters actually care about our viewing experience? Or are they content just to set up cushy gigs for the boys?
It can be hard to gauge the popularity of pundits. First and foremost, as an audience, we’re fans of sport – we’ll watch the product regardless of who’s talking over it. Thus, viewing figures are not a reliable metric.
On face value, it makes sense to funnel some of the game’s icons into the commentary box, as they’ve got sufficient cultural capital and fan recognition in the bank. But to hire solely on the basis of on-field CVs is absurd.
Late comedian Mitch Hedberg had an apt routine:
“When you’re in Hollywood and you’re a comedian, everybody wants you to do other things. Alright, you’re a stand-up comedian, can you write us a script? That’s not fair. That’s like if I worked hard to become a cook, and I’m a really good cook, they’d say, ‘OK, you’re a cook. Can you farm?’”
And so it goes with sport punditry. Show me a highlights package of Andrew Johns or Wally Lewis any day, but I can do without their musings on most things. Darren Lockyer, meanwhile, sounds like he’s gargling gravel.
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The responsibility of broadcasters is to make it worth staying home to watch the games we love. Yes, sport should be entertaining, but note that’s not synonymous with stupidity. If your biggest contribution is to the blooper reel, you’ve got a problem.
Across the board, insight has given way to backslapping and guffawing. The NRL is by no means the only offender. Nine’s bloated cricket collective is much maligned, serving up the same reheated banter each summer. Shane Warne is a longstanding farce, Ian Healy, Michael Slater and Mark Taylor manage to flounder despite their experience, and Michael Clarke still finds charisma elusive.
Elsewhere, Fox’s rugby team is blinkered by bias and hyperbole. Greg Martin’s criteria for Wallabies selection appears to be whomever he last saw break a tackle or win a turnover. Phil Kearns is stale.
The point is that you don’t become a sage by virtue of having played the game at the top level. In many cases, the opposite is true. What good is knowing how it feels to take the first hit-up in Origin if you lack the ability to articulate it?
There are so few Richie Benauds in the world ‒ those who can master the game and the microphone with such poise and longevity. I’m not saying you have to be Stephen Fry to warrant a commentary gig, but moving away from the lowest common denominator can’t hurt. We need light and shade in a broadcast ‒ a balance of the emotional and the cerebral. Not three blokes in a pub.
If the USP of the ex-pro is to know the game inside out, then are they really delivering on that promise? More often they can be found using their status to act extra matey in post-game interviews.
Maybe years of vanilla press conferences and simple mantras is enough to drain the character from most players. Maybe it’s the simple fact that they’re not professional broadcasters or journalists ‒ those who can frame a question, contextualise analysis and, crucially, call bullshit.
Which begs the question: how many capable, trained professionals are being shoved down the queue while yesterday’s punch-drunk heroes provide Batman sound effects (‘Phwoarrrr’ etc.) on our screens?
At worst, sport broadcasting is trending wilfully towards anti-intellectualism. At best, banality. So, who are the best broadcasters out there at the moment? We’re talking temperament, insight, humour, passion, clarity and listenability.
Personally, I favour Ricky Ponting for the cricket, Simon Hill for football, and Peter Sterling for the league. I don’t watch enough AFL, but no one comes close to the recently retired Dennis Cometti. Meanwhile, the strongest presenters are Yvonne Sampson, Mel McLaughlin and Lucy Zelic by some distance.
For too long, sporting coverage has been crippled by poor recruitment. Nepotism and gender imbalances remain entrenched. For the sake of the fans, commentary boxes must become more hospitable to those equipped to add value, not just cachet.
Syd Harland
Guest
I still enjoy Channel 9 and the commentary of Ray Warren, who still has it in spades over anyone else in the game when he's calling a decent game. In slower games, he tends to let Phil Gould take far too much control of the microphone and I feel the call suffers greatly as a result of that. Gould was doing Gogglebox long before it was conceived. Personally, I can't stand Gould and his diatribe, pontification and sanctamonious dribble. Vautin is ok when on board, although it's rare these days, and offers some good, lighthearted input into the game. As for Tennis, I'd have to say Bruce McAvaney....mainly because he sees everything as "special" and commentates without bias. For cricket there was only one - the great Richie Benaud. What a legend! Almost forgot, Sterling is fantastic in commentary as well and is, and has always been, the epitome of professionalism. His comments and analysis of the game carry enormous weight and credibility.
Sharkattack
Guest
Knight vision, I like your post. I don't go to footy matches any more because I am afraid I will get lumbered next to Daddy and his little girl who was probably a good footy bloke before becoming a daddy; suddenly, it's "don't say naughty words in front of my daughter" These days, going to footy is as much fun as staying in a library all day where we can't swear. Footy used to be a release for me, but now I like it better at home where I don't cop these sanctimonious hypocrites. Look for the great George Carlin on YouTube, he has something to say about these types.
Red Rooster
Guest
I listen to the ABC radio team and watch TV with the sound down. It's exciting balanced and insightful. I've gonever off both fta and pay broadcasters
Lidcombe Oval
Guest
What about the late great Whispering Ted Lowe- Took Snooker to great heights worldwide with his unique commentating style
Lindsay
Guest
What a great article Charlie!. Spot on! I love sport, particularly AFL and your views on the sub-standard quality of past legends of the game and journalists is so accurate to the point where in Victoria, I no longer look at a newspaper or Fox Footy. All trash reporting regardless of which team you follow. When reading your fabulous article Charlie it resonated so true for me. I thought I was reading my own thought processes and thought thank God, there is someone else out there who recognizes what I have also been frustrated with over the years with the rubbish dished up with our sports commentators to a large extent. Although you mention you do not watch enough AFL to make any comments, Charlie replace those names you mention for the other codes with the likes of Wayne Carey, Cameron Ling, Mark Robinson, Gary Lyon, etc. who we have writing about our great game and the criticism would be identical. What is it with these idiots? As for integrity, frequency of a sad procession of poor behaviors, etc. this is all pushed under the rug because they were past champions of the game. You just lose interest and switch off and keep your money for the rag we call a newspaper in your pocket. Well done Charlie. Outstanding article!
Knight Vision
Guest
Community standards ? Come on fella, these days a young bloke on the piss with a poodle is a major scandal and not up to community standards. The Australia of today has become a piss poor shadow of its former self. No sense of humor and holier than thou attitude makes me wanna puke.
JGK
Roar Guru
And before Richie there was Alan McGilvray who captained NSW in the Sheffield Shield before becoming the voice of cricket on the ABC.
Big Daddy
Guest
Since peter sterling has left footy show he has been best presenter / analyst. He knows his strengths and comes across very credible. The others there are just to make up the numbers. The rest can hardly put two words together without an auto cue.
matth
Guest
UBET breakfast hosted by McCoy is good fun
steveng
Roar Rookie
Brad, I'd suggest that you read your post before publishing it! And you being in the media, you should know better than publishing this., 'As a person who was studied sports journalism'...'If you’re going do to get the job easy'.
Andre Leslie
Roar Guru
Interesting article, but I'd like to pick up one issue that is not looked at too closely.... The traditional model is to have a lead commentator as a highly-trained journalist, with the second person an expert giving analysis, appropriate anecdote etc.... moving in during breaks in play. It is tried and true ... and I think it works because it covers all the bases and is easy for viewers and listeners to follow. If we reverted to this in Australia it would of course allow the more eloquent footballers to still get some gigs in the commentary box - and allow sports journalists to keep doing their job and lift the general standard of analysis. This is what is done in a lot of other countries. Richie - bless his soul - was an exception because of his years of training as a journalist, in an amateur era. It's made generations of sportsmen and women (and media producers) think that pro athletes could take on central commentating or hosting positions when - quite frankly - they often don't bring the skills to the table. But there are exceptions, of course. And there will be again in the future.
Magnus M. Østergaard
Roar Guru
Not exactly sure what you disagreeing with? Johns just isn't very good at live calls. Put him in prematch analysis and he is very good. There are plenty of players who are good at live calls.
Kilgore Trout
Roar Rookie
Well said . Darren Lockyer never looks or sounds like he wants to be there in the slightest . Gordon Tallis is hard to follow a lot of the time just because his grammar is so poor . If you had to decipher his comments via sub titles it would be frightening . Scratch of the head ..... wtf ! Matty Johns has to jump in and translate . Channel 9 NRL is almost unwatchable at times because of the biased and agenda driven commentary . Whilst there are plenty of ex players that have moved into the media and become superb at it , just having played the game shouldn't necessarily guarantee you a start . Some of these guys have been at it for years and not improved at all .
TigerMike
Guest
Did you ever play; first grade? Didn't think so
TigerMike
Guest
No
Magnus M. Østergaard
Roar Guru
Cozza is only in his first year of TV work, in any capacity. He also doesn't do any live calls.
Jeff Dustby
Guest
It's his Nickname. Huge issue
Jeff Dustby
Guest
Absolutely
JGK
Roar Guru
Nice. Been a fan of there's since Kersi and Vinay Verma (both Roar Experts) introduced me to it. I see you work at Clutz as well.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Wicked! I sit on the board. Thanks for your support.