One of my biggest interests in sports is the broadcasting aspect of them. Many of my favorite memories in sports not only include who won or lost specific games, but the sounds of the announcers who pushed those feelings through the airwaves. Broadcasters have become such an integral part of events, specifically those affiliated with a specific team. At times, these individuals have become just as much a part of a team's history as the players themselves (e.g. Vin Scully with the Dodgers, Harry Kalas with the Phillies and Eagles, and Myron Cope with the Steelers).
In fact, certain announcers have become part of a larger piece of history with the call of a certain play. Who can forget Al Michaels and the Miracle on Ice ("Do you believe in miracles? YESSS!!") or Jack Buck calling Kirk Gibson's home run during the '88 World Series ("hit's a long fly ball to right field....its a gonna be a home run.....unbelievable....and the Dodgers have won the game 5-4....I don't believe what I just saw"). I'm sure we all have our moments as sports fan when we can remember exactly where we were at a certain point when something great happened, and more often than not, you can remember what the broadcaster said that marked that moment for you.
Obviously, the proliferation of television has greatly diminished the quantity listening to radio broadcasts. For comparisons sake, as late as 1990, Ohio State only had 3 games on television that year. Fast-forward to 2009, and there is not a major college football team that does not have every single game broadcast on some station (same with all NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB teams). While this makes it great from a sports-consumer standpoint, I do feel viewers miss out on what radio broadcasts have to offer. Radio announcers have a much different job than TV announcers do, as they have to paint the entire picture for the listener with just their words (I always enjoy hearing a football radio announcer telling me a team is "moving left to right across your radio dial").
I am just as guilty as anyone else in regards to consuming sports more on TV than on radio, but I still make exceptions in certain situations, particularly with baseball. Baseball, in my mind, is truly the one sport where the radio broadcast has so much more to offer than TV. Maybe it's the slower pace of the game, or maybe it's the fact that for someone in a Midwestern state like myself, baseball is the primary season where I want to be away from my TV because of the weather. Regardless, I truly enjoy listening to the Indians on radio much more than watching and listening on TV (maybe it's Tom Hamilton's home run calls?!?).
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this: does anyone still listen to sports on radio outside of when they are driving in their car? And is there any time you choose to listen to the radio over watching TV?
Great post, Mike.
ReplyDeleteI agree whole-heartedly.
Some of my greatest sports memories involved broadcasts where I actually listened to the game on radio. Most memorable: Len Barker’s perfect game for the Tribe in 1981. At the time, it was only the 11th perfect game in baseball history. I even remember the “antique” radio that delivered the play-by-play action of that classic game over the air waves.
Growing up with the Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers, we were fortunate to hear some of the finest radio broadcasters ever: Herb Score, Joe Tait, Tom Hamilton; and if you go back even further in time: Nev Chandler, Gib Shanley, and Jimmy Dudley.
For me, listening to baseball on the radio is a great pastime. It forces you to become immersed in the action. You really have to pay attention, because the scores and other stats are not plastered on the radio dial. The primary advantage of listening to a baseball game is that along with descriptive accounts of the game action, you get to hear the announcers tell great stories during breaks in the action.
Often times, we would turn off the sound of a televised game, and simultaneously listen to the radio broadcast, while watching the action on TV (especially when the TV broadcast included Brent Musberger). Unfortunately, that is no longer possible. With HDTV and cable system delays, you would hear Paul Keels on the radio shout “and Ginn hauls it in for a touchdown”, just as the big screen TV shows Troy dropping back to pass.
I am afraid that for younger fans, it is becoming a lost art to be able to listen to a game and “see” the action in your mind’s eye. TV broadcasts provide so much information, that the fan only needs to sit back and consume that information, and not really have to pay that much attention to what is happening. And in the process, they miss out on a great experience.
This blog (for me) completely embodies you as a sports fan, Mike. You have such a passion for sports but it runs much deeper than most. You truly thrive on the emotions of the games and this post expresses that. You are the reason that I pay attention to the broadcasters (their voices, their commentary, their emotion, etc.) and I think that is what makes you different from most sports fans.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to share my most memorable radio broadcast ... it was spring break and I was in 5th grade. I was riding down to Florida with MAJ, David and Kathryn and we were in the middle of a snowstorm somewhere along the 24-hour route and we were listening to the NCAA Men's Bball tourney on the radio. It just so happened to be the Duke vs. Kentucky game...and I distinctly remember the announcer expressing the entire play ... With 2.1 seconds remaining in overtime, Duke trailed 103-102. Grant Hill threw a pass the length of the court to Christian Laettner, who dribbled once, turned, and hit a jumper as time expired! I couldn't tell you who was announcing that game but I can tell you that it was electric...impossible to forget! I was only 10 years old but I will never forget that moment...perhaps it was because of the call! :)
Julie :)