Game Announcers ...

[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?

[stiffler3492]

In Illinois, the PA Announcer sometimes reads a statement about how they expect sportsmanship from all involved. Wouldn't that be ironic if he had read a similar statement prior to your game?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by stiffler3492

Sometimes reads a statement about how they expect sportsmanship from all involved. Wouldn't that be ironic if he had read a similar statement prior to your game?

It's very hard to describe, but, in my opinion, it didn't quite meet the level of unsporting, or taunting, it just seemed, for lack of a better term, "out of place", in a high school basketball game.

[just another ref]

If taken to an extreme level, this, I think could conceivably fall under 2-8-1:

Penalize unsporting conduct by any player, coach, substitute, team attendant, or follower.

I agree "How could she miss both free throws?" is over the line.

[bob jenkins]

IMO, if they stick to "just the facts" (points, assists, fouls) then it's okay. If they go to play-by-play or editorializing, I tell them to stop.

[just another ref]

INO ??

I give up.

It's not ours?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

If they go to play-by-play.

Thanks. That's the way to describe what was being announced. Play by play. Exactly. And most of the play by play was not unsporting, it just didn't seem "right" in a high school game.

Now back to the question. Is it the job of the officials, sans anything from the state interscholastic sports governing body, to stop "play by play" announcing, especially if it's not unsporting?

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Now back to the question. Is it the job of the officials, sans anything from the state interscholastic sports governing body, to stop "play by play" announcing, especially if it's not unsporting?

Yes. Even if it's not unsporting, he's a PA announcer, not a play by play guy. The potential exists an sooner or later, just like in your game, he's going to say the wrong thing. Be proactive.

I've had it happen at football games, but not in a basketball game, at least not yet.

[amusedofficial]

Posting to spam threads is on the list of Most Misunderstood Comment Rules.

The play-by-play by game announcers seems to follow a plot development trick used in a recent spate of basketball movies -- the ones that inevitably involve some long-neglected or injured athlete overcoming insurmountable odds by taking a game deciding shot in slow motion and teaching a valuable life lesson to his/her parent/coach/teammates/concubine.

These films show a PA announcer at courtside and he advances the story of the game through play-by-play. I have long feared that real PA announcers would decided this is how things should be.

The "how can she miss" comment about a visiting player is deserving of having the announcer banished for unsporting conduct. There is no way it isn't taunting by someone under the authority of the home site manager, so it becomes a forfeit issue if it continues.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

He's a PA announcer, not a play by play guy.

You seem to know the difference. I may have have some idea regarding the difference. But, in reality, what is the real difference? If our state interscholastic sports governing body doesn't give us any guidance here, then is this the job of the officials to police this, according to the NFHS?

"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it." (Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, 1964)

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by amusedofficial

i do not, however, think this calls for advice from experts on crowd management and the ways of the table.

+1

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by amusedofficial

I do not, however, think this calls for advice from experts on crowd management and the ways of the table.

C'mon. This is a softball toss for chseagle to knock out of the park.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by amusedofficial

Posting to spam threads is on the list of Most Misunderstood Comment Rules.

It's not a myth. It's real. It happened to me. Twice. Banned for life. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

It's not a myth. It's real. It happened to me. Twice. Banned for life. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

+1, a little while back..... I was just a young poster at the time.

Ok, maybe not so young.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by amusedofficial

The play-by-play by game announcers seems to follow a plot development trick used in a recent spate of basketball movies, the ones that inevitably involve some long-neglected or injured athlete overcoming insurmountable odds by taking a game deciding shot in slow motion and teaching a valuable life lesson to his/her parent/coach/teammates/concubine. These films show a PA announcer at courtside and he advances the story of the game through play-by-play. I have long feared that real PA announcers would decided this is how things should be.

You've hit the nail right on the head. I've noticed this on television shows, also. At the time, I thought that it was funny, the writers not knowing what is was really like in a real high school basketball game. It's this, as well as ESPN's "And One" games, that will eventually lead us to more "play by play" announcers for high school games. It's only going to get worse, if nobody does anything about it.