[BillyMac]

I had a big city, girls varsity, game last week. Not a big game. Just a big city. Midweek game, just a few dozen fans in the crowd. Game starts with the announcer doing a great job announcing the starting lineups, the coaches, and introducing the National Anthem singers. I turn to my partner and say to him, "This guy's going to really pump up this crowd."

I seldom actually listen to game announcers, but I noted a few odd "announcements" during the first period. Not only would he announce points, assists, personal fouls, and team fouls, but he would occasionally add in some comments, like, "That was a great steal by Mary Smith". I mentioned to my partner between periods that the announcer may be going over some editorial "line in the sand", but we decided to just let it go.

Same thing in the second period. The announcements are hard to describe, but they are like the games that some of us may have seen back when ESPN used to broadcast those "And One" games, where the announcer is actually on the playing court with a wireless microphone. We also have a summer "proam" league here, with local professional, and college players, in the same city where this varsity high school game was played, and they also utilize an announcer on the playing court.

My partner, and I, discussed this at halftime, and we decided that there were no NFHS rules being broken here, and to just let it go, with a report to our assignment commissioner to follow after the game.

Well, with the home team up by a wide margin in the second half, the announcer decided to take it up a notch. The visiting fans seemed to take offense at some of the announcements. They didn't complain directly to us, there was just an uneasy murmur in the crowd. The straw that broke the camel's back was the following, "How could she miss both free throws?", after a visiting player missed both free throws. My partner, the referee, went over to the table and told him to cease and desist.

After getting our report, our assignment commissioner backed us up 100%, and told us that he would contact the school, also telling them to cease and desist.

Anybody else ever run into this problem? Are there any NFHS rules that define what game announcers can, and cannot announce? I don't believe that we get any guidance from our state interscholastic sports governing body in regard too this. Do other states have such guidelines in place?