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Whenever I’ve seen fights live I’ve been so used to hearing commentary that it seems quite naked without it. However, recently I’ve found that fights can almost be ruined by TV commentators – they have the ability to detract as well as enhance. So what do you look for in a commentary team?
For me, whether or not the guy knows what he’s talking about is actually some way down on the list. Here’s the top three things I look for:
1. Is this guy’s voice getting on my ****ing nerves?
You need a bit of drama and pace, and pitch in a commentator’s voice. Look at Jim Lampley’s enthused “WHAT A WARRIOR!” in Holyfield-Bowe III and compare and contrast it to Larry Merchant observing “down goes Bowe” with all the life and intensity of a man who’s forgot to pay his phone bill or who has just let slip a stray fart. Yet as often glib and lacklustre as Merchant can be, at least he doesn’t constantly strain at your ears with a jarring pitch. There’s an ex-Lightweight who does a lot of commentary for SKY TV in the UK, a Scottish guy called Jim Watt, and his voice is so harsh and grating that often I can only think one thing – “shut the **** up, I’m watching the fight.”
2. Is this guy not shutting the **** up?
This actually seems to be more of a British tradition, maybe coming from a voice training background where they seem to detest dead air. There’s simply no need for a commentator to be talking for three minutes of every round… but still they do.
3. Is this guy repeating himself like a ****er?
Yeah, I can forgive Big Len and his one word repetition cos he’s a shy guy and he’s probably nervous. But we’re back to Jim Watt again, and a combination of points one and two… if the guy hasn’t got anything new to say, he’ll just make the same point… over and over. This also becomes particularly tiresome when the commentator develops a “catchphrase”.
Bottom line with these guys is, there’s no option to “turn the sound off” as it takes away the atmosphere. But whatever happened to impartial commentators only speaking in patches, giving informed, intelligent commentary and only raising their voices to accentuate the drama?
For me, whether or not the guy knows what he’s talking about is actually some way down on the list. Here’s the top three things I look for:
1. Is this guy’s voice getting on my ****ing nerves?
You need a bit of drama and pace, and pitch in a commentator’s voice. Look at Jim Lampley’s enthused “WHAT A WARRIOR!” in Holyfield-Bowe III and compare and contrast it to Larry Merchant observing “down goes Bowe” with all the life and intensity of a man who’s forgot to pay his phone bill or who has just let slip a stray fart. Yet as often glib and lacklustre as Merchant can be, at least he doesn’t constantly strain at your ears with a jarring pitch. There’s an ex-Lightweight who does a lot of commentary for SKY TV in the UK, a Scottish guy called Jim Watt, and his voice is so harsh and grating that often I can only think one thing – “shut the **** up, I’m watching the fight.”
2. Is this guy not shutting the **** up?
This actually seems to be more of a British tradition, maybe coming from a voice training background where they seem to detest dead air. There’s simply no need for a commentator to be talking for three minutes of every round… but still they do.
3. Is this guy repeating himself like a ****er?
Yeah, I can forgive Big Len and his one word repetition cos he’s a shy guy and he’s probably nervous. But we’re back to Jim Watt again, and a combination of points one and two… if the guy hasn’t got anything new to say, he’ll just make the same point… over and over. This also becomes particularly tiresome when the commentator develops a “catchphrase”.
Bottom line with these guys is, there’s no option to “turn the sound off” as it takes away the atmosphere. But whatever happened to impartial commentators only speaking in patches, giving informed, intelligent commentary and only raising their voices to accentuate the drama?
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