It’s easy to let development of your on-air abilities slip during the grind of a busy broadcasting season. That’s why off-season is the perfect time to put a laser focus on advancing your play-by-play skills.
Here are four suggestions:
In 2003, I was doing play-by-play and sideline reporting for a startup TV network called The Football Network. It was all football all the time, before the NFL Network.
The first several broadcasts we did we wore coats and ties. About a month later, management gave us polo shirts with the company logo and asked us to wear them for our next broadcast. Ironically, the game was in my hometown of San Diego.
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Last week, I shared four things you can do this baseball season to increase your chances for moving up next year.
The fourth was the most obvious: improve your play-by-play.
Here are three habits you will hear when listening to the baseball broadcasting greats.
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Each spring, many baseball broadcasters lament returning to the same positions they held the previous season versus moving up the minor league ladder.
Sometimes, it’s a numbers game. Many broadcasters; Few opportunities. Other times it’s because the person didn’t do all they could to increase their chance for promotion.
Here are four things you can do this baseball season to help you move up next summer.
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It’s common to hear about strong-armed quarterbacks firing bullets and great outside shooters described as snipers.
But should they be?
With stories of shootings and gun violence becoming alarmingly commonplace, it’s debatable whether words like bullets, guns and snipers are appropriate in sports broadcasting.
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In the last three years, I’ve been fortunate enough to pick up play-by-play for three brand new sports (volleyball, soccer and distance running – a half-marathon). I used different approaches for all three.
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We’re right in the middle of basketball season. I hope the team for which you broadcast is doing well. It’s always more fun to call games for a winner.
The season’s midway point is a good a time to start thinking about updating your basketball demo.
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The start of basketball season is a great time to remember three techniques that will instantly improve your basketball play-by-play.
When is it acceptable in your play-by-play broadcast to criticize the refs?
Never.
There are many reasons:
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A college football broadcaster was in his second season with a new university. Message board trolls were complaining that he wasn’t enough of a homer on his broadcasts.
“The guy I replaced was not good with the fundamentals of play-by-play,” he said. “He was a big time homer who could complain about the officials and act like the game was a funeral if the team was losing. You could go 20 minutes without knowing the time and score, or even which teams were playing.”
School officials were pleased with the new broadcaster. Still he wondered, “Do I keep doing my thing and hope people get used to it, or should I be more clear than I root, root, root for the home team?”
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