I had thought to write this article well before the passing of Drew Morphett, whose voice is etched in my memory watching AFL in the 1980s.
However, his passing is ultimately a timely reminder.
As a fresh-faced Hawks supporter in the glorious 1980s, when I did not realise that the grand final could be played without Hawthorn, Morphett’s voice regaled so many of those glory days, that as I matured, I laughed at the realisation he was not in fact a Hawthorn supporter himself.
Same with Lou Richards, who I had associated more with Hawthorn than Collingwood.
Whether we like it or not, the voices in commentary are more often than not primarily associated with the vision that we witness for years after the matches themselves are played out.
AFL has a long line of quality modern commentators: Sandy Roberts, Anthony Hudson, of course Dennis Commetti. I’d throw Kelli Underwood in that list, though her time was cruelly cut short.
AFL has a bank account lined with broadcaster dollars, essentially broadcasters paying to be the voice of the game.
So whose voice are we actually listening to? Because on current output, it’s hardly worth paying attention to.
I can understand the thinking behind it, back in the late 1990s, when broadcasters wanted to cash in on highly marketable and hugely popular retiring footy stars.
Good on the field? Well, they must know what’s going on. Give them a microphone so they can tell us.
Wrong.
As the art of journalism dies out to the populism that is public relations and social media, so too is the humble commentator moving aside for the retired athlete.
Say what you like about Bruce MacAvaney – and for the purpose of this article, I won’t – but the one thing you simply cannot ever say about Bruce is that he does not know what is going on.
His deep knowledge of every event that he puts words to is unrivalled.
The other thing you can’t say about Bruce, though this point is arguable, and you may not like what he says, he very much knows how and when to say it.
The education as a broadcaster has taught him what to look for, how to operate, when to lay it on, and when to draw back.
Now, these days, Bruce might be a bit more of a caricature of himself than in his prime in the 1990s, but that just happens over time.
Bruce is very much a broadcaster first, and a sports enthusiast second.
Not so your retired footballers.
Roaming Brian (#RoamingBrian) was weaving his magic after the Hawks sent their idolised captain Luke Hodge off a winner on Friday night, when he corralled James Sicily.
You know, James Sicily? The bloke who during the match BT had described as having a face that was ‘punchable,’ while face to face lauding Sicily for having a character that ‘we love.’
To top off the lack of professional polish (and I’m being kind) in the interview, BT asked Sicily when he’s going to finally re-sign with the Hawks, to which Sicily looked confused, saying that had already been announced. BT smirked that must’ve only happened in the last day or two.
No BT, Sicily had re-signed on Tuesday.
Now, putting aside BT’s apparent condoning of assault, it is his inability to have a simple awareness of AFL current affairs that simply smacks of amateurishness. He didn’t even have to research that one.
I’m aware of most clubs’ re-signings, and I have a full-time job.
BT is just the tip of the iceberg, and I’m not going to name and shame all and sundry that I feel aren’t up to standard.
Personally, I find a particular former Geelong player the hardest to follow, and it’s not necessarily the one you think.
What is clear is that simply knowing the subject matter does not automatically mean that they know how to talk about it.
Mark Ricciutto, on the Front Bar, was presented with his top six commentary moments, and while I question the courage of Sam Pang in pointing them out to Roo on live TV, he was at least easy-going enough to laugh them off.
We do all make mistakes.
But I go back to my original premise, in that these are the new voices of the game that will be remembered for decades.
So is this the voice that the AFL wants people hearing?
Further to that, there is also one last point worth raising.
The likes of BT and Sam Newman are lauded by the public for being straight shooters, and for calling it out how it is.
Whether it’s BT talking about Sicily’s punchable face, or Sam Newman somewhat hysterically questioning Robert Murphy’s right to hold up a premiership cup, these two are not straightshooters at all.
They are more voice pieces for a lack of desire to look deeper, emblematic of those that have chosen not to look outside a particular reality that they have accepted.
Remember, Sam Newman (professing to be a “professional commentator” as he was landing a pie in the face of David Schwartz on national television) once uttered the following.
“I am a white, Anglo Saxon, male, protestant heterosexual, I’m waiting for my day to come.”
Now, take it from a white, mostly Anglo Saxon, male, protestant, heterosexual that every day is “white, Anglo Saxon, male, protestant, heterosexual” day, but putting that issue aside, that quote, his own response to the Adam Goodes booing saga, was curious.
Whether you agreed with it or not, for a bloke who said we should keep politics out of sport, that to me sounded pretty darn political.
So if you are not going to follow your very own set of rules when it comes to what you are doing as a broadcaster, what then can we expect from your broadcasting?
Which brings us full circle.
To the men (and, please God, let there be many more women) who are entrusted with voicing the spectacle that we view, please start learning your craft.
Don’t just talk; actually broadcast.
This is a message to all sports: NRL, football, tennis, and do not even get me started on Shane Warne.
Because in ten, twenty, fifty, and one hundred years time, when they are replaying these things, let’s not force them to watch the footage muted.
Come follow me on Twitter @KdogRoars
Mac Hawk
Guest
Good article.
mcmanpp
Roar Rookie
Basil Zempilas must really believe in his particular style of commentating because he’s often been criticised for it yet he sticks with it. It’s not hard to find AFL fans on various forums deconstructing his technique from as long ago as 2012 and 2014. My understanding is that he models his style on Dennis Cometti. But the difference is that when Dennis got excited about a passage of play or about a player, I always felt it was genuine. With Basil, straining for effect, it always feels like artifice.
BigAl
Guest
About the only light at the end of the tunnel as far as AFL commentators go is Wayne Carey, though I'm not sure that he is a play caller ? That new? guy from WA - Basil something could be something ?
Simoc
Guest
Count yourself lucky. In AFL games Qld always seem to get the D grade crew which among others has Tony Shaw and Alistair Lynch. Sometimes Brereton and the commentator are ok. Drew Morphett was outstanding and Commetti the best at all the sports he covered in his career. But my favourite was English cricket commentator Henry Blofield who would tell funny stories which were better than the cricket he was making occasional references to. The NRL commentator Ray Warren is very good as is comments guy Peter Stirling. Most international commentators around the world barrack for the home team in the commentary which is boorish to listen to. In football and cricket the ex-players talk to much but from here Ian Chappell is way ahead of the rest. So many commentators refer to stats which is ok for McAveney. But I think it shows that when they don't understand the game, so they use them as a prop.
GWSINGAPORE
Guest
Brian Taylor's problem is that he thinks it is about HIM not the GAME.
Angela
Guest
Interesting article. As you mentioned all sports, the one commentator who never seems to stuff up, who really knows what's going on, who has confidence and a pleasant voice, and has an irritation factor (IF) of nil, is Phil Liggett, cycling commentator. I don't think there is anyone else - that I've heard at least - that comes close to Phil. I have what I call an irritation factor (IF) index of sports commentating. BT and Lingy both score a high IF. In tennis Roger Rasheed who talks a lot of psychobabble and seems to know what the players are thinking has a very high IF. Jim Courier, on the other hand, for me at least, has a very low IF. He calls the game succinctly, avoids cliché, shuts up well before the shot is played and seems to know what he's talking about. Lleyton Hewett tries hard and is learning but has difficulty shutting up. He also gives way to much information. He perhaps needs to remember he's not giving a coaching lesson to a bunch of kids. His IF factor is up there but improving. I don't know any NRL commentators by name but hear them if I watch State of Origin or the NRL GF. They are very big on cliché and all talk as if they are compering WW1. They seem to have all adopted a kind of tragic, heroic tone that, to my ears at least, has a steadily increasing IF as the match proceeds. I acknowledge that IF is unfair as the best commentator in the world can also be high on IF which, like the nose on your face, is something people can't help.
Nick J
Guest
For this season I would place Bruce in the same category as the ex-footballers. They're purely speaking for the purposes of entertainment which implies that the game is better with them talking than without. For me, Richie Benaud is the pinnacle of commentary. He never positioned his call on the game as being better than the actual game itself. I don't think the experience of a game through television will match being at the ground if the 'commentators' only repeat what we can already see on the screen. Add a bunch of emotive conjecture and it's just drivel, the real excitement and emotion is thanks to the players.
Jon Kau
Guest
Was a big fan of Drew Morphett and sad to hear of his passing. I can still hear his voice as I think back to the times of watching footy or listening to the radio. It's a pity that a number of modern commentators don't seem to make such an impact. BT is embarrassing, Riccutio is worse and I feel that they are too busy trying to feed their own ego. I also feel that it's a bit too "blokey blokey/inside joke/when I used to play" (don't get me started on cricket commentators too!) and I don't care about that. I want some good commentating on the game, good inside knowledge or stats (a modern Bruce) and a level of excitement that avoids bias...and I include my SA commentators too. Good article, but I wonder who will step up to bebth next Drew/Dennis/Sandy etc.
perry cox
Roar Guru
Good call Don. About Kelli. I meant more getting the tv coverage that her talents deserve. But you are absolutely right, credit to ABC that she is still calling the game.
Dier-ba-zor
Guest
I actually find BT's failure to think before he speaks kind of funny.
Don Freo
Guest
Kelli Underwood's time hasn't been cut short. She commentates 2 games a week on ABC Radio. RIP Drew. There's a bloke who loves footy. If everyone voted on their favourite ever football show (besides live broadcasts), The Winners would get over 80% of the votes.
perry cox
Roar Guru
Is this Sam Newman using a pseudonym?
perry cox
Roar Guru
Look, you're likely right, and that's why I didn't want to go down that path in the main, in terms of Bruce's modern output. I agree, what he's become is a shame compared to what he used to put out. Rubbish like that where past players use the "when did you ever play" business is even worse. I Wish I'd known that, because I would have highlighted Darcy. I hate that. Someone tried to dismiss my input about cricket because I'd never played. I simply said to them that playing can't help that much, given how little he seemed to know.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Darce is terrible. Lingy should be kept away from Geelong matches. Vive la journo commentators. For once I understand Sam's sentiment on Muprhy. To be fair to Bob though it's the modern full time era, he was all in supporting the team and what else were club going to do with him?
Justin Kearney
Guest
Next time you write an article get a knowledgeable friend to edit it. I am not even sure what the title means.
Slane
Guest
I always thought Bruce had suffered some kind of aneurysm that made him ask rhetorical questions.
mcmanpp
Roar Rookie
I find it interesting that you mention Bruce McAvaney as being top of class as a broadcaster before going on to question the efforts of the former-footballer class. I agree with you that BT regularly puts his mouth in gear before engaging his brain, and Ricciutto has one of the lowest return rates of worthy utterance to output. But you’ve missed one of the unseen but (listen carefully) powerful influences on broadcasting performance: the peer pressure the former footballers put on the non-footballer broadcasters. Sometimes it’s overt, such as the occasion when Luke Darcy jumped on Anthony Hudson during a broadcast when Huddo ventured a different opinion. Darcy said words to the effect “And when did you play football to learn that?” Other times it’s peer derision, such as a few years back when BT criticised Matthew Richardson for his opinions in games (BT has improved markedly since). But it’s been sad to see Bruce McAvaney’s declining confidence in his own broadcasting abilities, in part because of this peer pressure. Listen to Bruce’s commentary today; it is peppered with lack of confidence in his own opinion, expressed as questions to his fellow commentators for their approval.
Slane
Guest
Agree with all you've said. There is a reason why all these ex-players get ghost writers to pump out their autobiographies.