Announcing for games that aren’t exciting is one of the hardest things announcers have to deal with. How do they keep the audience from flipping the channel or changing the station?
Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Detroit Pistons. The Cavs have the best record in the Eastern Conference and the Pistons were one game above .500 entering last night’s game. Before watching the game I knew the Pistons had lost 5 in a row and knew it was going to be a rough game to watch.
I tuned in online at ESPN360.com and listened to Doris Burke and Kevin Calabro call the game. I focused mostly on Doris Burke and listened to everything she said attentively. As we know, there aren’t many female sports announcers. I was curious to hear her style and see how she announced compared to her partner. For one, her voice sounded great. She spoke with what I would say is a deeper voice than most women. We have learned that this is a good tactic for women to use. Along with her great tone of voice, Doris knew the game. From start to finish she knew background information on every player on the court. I thought it was very interesting that they had Calabro do play-by-play and had Burke on the color commentary. With that, I was very impressed with her knowledge about the players and about the game of basketball all together. You could clearly see that she did her homework on both teams.
As a team Calabro and Burke worked very well together. For the most part I was listening and not watching the game. Even so, I was still able to follow the game action and understand what was happening. What I enjoyed very much was the back-and-forth announcing they did. As soon as Calabro finished the play-by-play on one side of the court, Burke would follow with some history, a fun fact, or an update about the player or players involved. This is great for sports fan but also helpful for those who don’t know a lot about specific players.
The two announcers flowed very well together and it made for an enjoyable broadcast to listen and watch. Ironically, the broadcast got better when the Cavs started to pull away. Instead of constant play-by-play Calabro and Burke went back and forth with commentary and discussion. I was not bored once during the broadcast. Both announcers had me entertained and even laughing at some points. Although the margin of victory was large both announcers were lively throughout the broadcast and there was rarely a moment of silence.
The only thing I disliked about the broadcast was when the commentary started to become all about Lebron James. I feel that the Cavs are more than Lebron James. Yes, he is one of the best players in the league right now, but when you’re broadcasting a game there are 2 teams and many different players. It was Delonte West’s first game back after being injured. He had an incredible game and the focus was still Lebron.
Overall I really enjoyed watching a basketball game and actually paying close attention to the announcers. I have a new respect for Doris Burke and believe she is a very good sports announcer.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Female Referees in College Basketball
Title 9 is a federal law passed in 1972 which prohibited sex discrimination in any educational program or any activity at any educational institution. In athletics Title 9 is applied in these 3 ways:
Participation: requires that women be provided an equitable opportunity to participate in sports as men (not necessarily the identical sports but an equal opportunity to play).
Scholarships: requires that female athletes receive athletic scholarship dollars proportional to their participation (e.g., if there are 100 male athletes/100 female athletes and a $200,000 scholarship budget, then the budget must be split $100,000 to men/$100,000 to women)
Other Benefits: requires equal treatment in the provision of (1) equipment and supplies, (2) scheduling of games and practice times, (3) travel and daily allowance, (4) access to tutoring, (5) coaching, (6) locker rooms, (7) practice and competitive facilities, (8) medical and training facilities and services, (9) publicity and promotions, (10) recruitment of student athletes, and (11) support services.
As a female athlete in college I cannot stress enough how grateful I am that women were allowed this great opportunity. But, recently this law and society’s stress on giving women equal opportunity has given many Division 3 basketball players some problems.
This year Division 3 Basketball is encouraging women to get involved in basketball across the nation. In that push, women referees are at almost every game. This year alone, the Emerson Men and Women’s Basketball teams have had the same two women referee our games. Sadly, the two women are AWFUL at refereeing. They make questionable calls and seem to be the focus of many discussions in our locker rooms.
I am all for Title 9 but I feel like the best people should be doing the job regardless of their sex. I also believe that if Division 3 wants to get women involved they should be offering tutorials for them. I feel like because they want more female referees they are giving any of them jobs, even the ones who aren’t as experienced and qualified.
Don’t get me wrong, bad referees are all over and they aren’t just women. I just find it funny how no matter where Emerson Women’s Basketball travels the same two women find their way there. This past Saturday we had a game at home verse Saint Josephs of Connecticut. It was a league game and they fall at the bottom. We were up by almost 30 and they began to get very “chippy”. At one point a girl on the opposing team screamed “I swear to God you effin bitch”. The woman referee was standing only 3 feet from us and completely ignored what she said. A technical foul was appropriate but nothing was given. Minutes later the same girl was pushing and grabbing me and the women referee whispered to me, quote “She’s frustrated give her a break.” A foul should have been called again but wasn’t.
A referee is a referee they call what they see regardless of the situation. The referee was wrong in not doing so. But, as a female athlete I really do feel that this is a great opportunity to women who want to get involved in basketball. My only suggestion is that the best referees should call college games and leave the less experienced referees for high school games.
Participation: requires that women be provided an equitable opportunity to participate in sports as men (not necessarily the identical sports but an equal opportunity to play).
Scholarships: requires that female athletes receive athletic scholarship dollars proportional to their participation (e.g., if there are 100 male athletes/100 female athletes and a $200,000 scholarship budget, then the budget must be split $100,000 to men/$100,000 to women)
Other Benefits: requires equal treatment in the provision of (1) equipment and supplies, (2) scheduling of games and practice times, (3) travel and daily allowance, (4) access to tutoring, (5) coaching, (6) locker rooms, (7) practice and competitive facilities, (8) medical and training facilities and services, (9) publicity and promotions, (10) recruitment of student athletes, and (11) support services.
As a female athlete in college I cannot stress enough how grateful I am that women were allowed this great opportunity. But, recently this law and society’s stress on giving women equal opportunity has given many Division 3 basketball players some problems.
This year Division 3 Basketball is encouraging women to get involved in basketball across the nation. In that push, women referees are at almost every game. This year alone, the Emerson Men and Women’s Basketball teams have had the same two women referee our games. Sadly, the two women are AWFUL at refereeing. They make questionable calls and seem to be the focus of many discussions in our locker rooms.
I am all for Title 9 but I feel like the best people should be doing the job regardless of their sex. I also believe that if Division 3 wants to get women involved they should be offering tutorials for them. I feel like because they want more female referees they are giving any of them jobs, even the ones who aren’t as experienced and qualified.
Don’t get me wrong, bad referees are all over and they aren’t just women. I just find it funny how no matter where Emerson Women’s Basketball travels the same two women find their way there. This past Saturday we had a game at home verse Saint Josephs of Connecticut. It was a league game and they fall at the bottom. We were up by almost 30 and they began to get very “chippy”. At one point a girl on the opposing team screamed “I swear to God you effin bitch”. The woman referee was standing only 3 feet from us and completely ignored what she said. A technical foul was appropriate but nothing was given. Minutes later the same girl was pushing and grabbing me and the women referee whispered to me, quote “She’s frustrated give her a break.” A foul should have been called again but wasn’t.
A referee is a referee they call what they see regardless of the situation. The referee was wrong in not doing so. But, as a female athlete I really do feel that this is a great opportunity to women who want to get involved in basketball. My only suggestion is that the best referees should call college games and leave the less experienced referees for high school games.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A referee should never decide a game
The game is tied and a bad foul call with 0.8 seconds left puts superstar Lebron James on the line for two with his Cleveland Cavaliers trailing 93-95. James ices both free throws and ties the game at 95. The Indiana Pacers now have the ball and they run an identical play for Danny Granger with .02 seconds left in the game. The whistle blows and a foul is called on James. Granger is sent to the line. He makes the first and purposely misses the second. Pacers win at home 96-95.
ESPN showed the two clips over and over again. James and Granger were positioned the same exact way and both jumped for the ball. As a basketball player, you feel cheated when referees make a bad call with seconds remaining.
Many sports news outlets wrote about the controversial call. I came across three articles about the game. An article from espn.com favored superstar Lebron James.
“But NBA stars, especially those in the realm of James, aren't supposed to be treated this way -- especially in a game they've dominated.”
The NBA has become a place where the Lebron’s and Kobe’s get calls and get away with many. I, personally think that’s absurd and it takes away from the game. Mike Brown preached the word “consistency” and yet was not consistent in his reactions to the calls.
A cleveland.com article focused on Mike Brown’s reaction to the officials. Mike Brown was more than just upset about the call made on James.
"I cannot imagine another worse call than that by that official. It was an awful call, and for him to take away a basketball game from a team with 0.4 seconds on the clock is irresponsible. That is an irresponsible call.
On many different occasions when speaking to the media, Brown misstated the time on both plays, clearly showing his frustration. The entire article was simply quotes from him.
In both of these articles the main focus was obviously the Cleveland Cavaliers. An Indianapolis Star article was my favorite out of the three. It was informative and recapped the game. On top of that it also praised the work of Lebron James and spoke on what a great player he actually is. The article did mention the controversial call but was not the main focus.
I don’t really know what would have happened if neither of the foul calls were made. Many reporters and analysts believe that the Cavs would have flown home with a W. Regardless, the referees WERE consistent. They made the same call on opposite ends of the floor. But, I do believe it was a bad call and referees do need to let the players play and let them win or lose a game for themselves.
ESPN showed the two clips over and over again. James and Granger were positioned the same exact way and both jumped for the ball. As a basketball player, you feel cheated when referees make a bad call with seconds remaining.
Many sports news outlets wrote about the controversial call. I came across three articles about the game. An article from espn.com favored superstar Lebron James.
“But NBA stars, especially those in the realm of James, aren't supposed to be treated this way -- especially in a game they've dominated.”
The NBA has become a place where the Lebron’s and Kobe’s get calls and get away with many. I, personally think that’s absurd and it takes away from the game. Mike Brown preached the word “consistency” and yet was not consistent in his reactions to the calls.
A cleveland.com article focused on Mike Brown’s reaction to the officials. Mike Brown was more than just upset about the call made on James.
"I cannot imagine another worse call than that by that official. It was an awful call, and for him to take away a basketball game from a team with 0.4 seconds on the clock is irresponsible. That is an irresponsible call.
On many different occasions when speaking to the media, Brown misstated the time on both plays, clearly showing his frustration. The entire article was simply quotes from him.
In both of these articles the main focus was obviously the Cleveland Cavaliers. An Indianapolis Star article was my favorite out of the three. It was informative and recapped the game. On top of that it also praised the work of Lebron James and spoke on what a great player he actually is. The article did mention the controversial call but was not the main focus.
I don’t really know what would have happened if neither of the foul calls were made. Many reporters and analysts believe that the Cavs would have flown home with a W. Regardless, the referees WERE consistent. They made the same call on opposite ends of the floor. But, I do believe it was a bad call and referees do need to let the players play and let them win or lose a game for themselves.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
"Pierce is the Celtics only reserve"- Sports Article Review
The Celtics only getting two all- stars was a shock to most Boston Celtics fans. The statistics and play of the Big Three and Rajon Rondo are hard to ignore. In a Boston Globe article (link below) writer Marc Spears gives the reader different sides of the story. Instead of making this an opinion article, he makes all of his points through comments made by the players and administration of the Boston Celtics. When writing for sports, writers have a tendency to be bias. Whether it’s liking a team and bashing a player writing around those feelings is hard when you’re a sports fan.
In the article titled “Pierce is the Celtics’ only reserve” Spears does a good job leaving his opinion out and giving the readers just hard facts. Throughout the entire article he gives a statement then follows with a quote explaining that statement. Whether or not Spears personal views are in the story, it is not evident to the reader. By leaving his opinion out, it makes the article stronger and allows the reader to create his or her own opinion about the topic. As a sports fan this makes the article more exciting to read.
After reading the article it is evident that Spears did his homework on the Boston Celtics, both past and present. If you are or aren’t a Celtics fan you are able to gain some knowledge on the team and its personnel. At the same time, he provides facts about different teams and players around the league. Comparing and contrasting the players that made the all-star team to the players that didn’t is a great tactic. As a huge Boston Celtics fan, I am still bitter about the fact that we didn’t get more than two all-stars. Spears comparison fueled my anger because the statistics don’t lie and players like Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo should have been named all-stars.
Another aspect I enjoyed about Spears article is the usage of quotes. The content of all of his quotes wrapped the story together and were placed perfectly within the story. Reading quotes from Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers makes for a strong sports piece. Hearing from past players and now coaches and general managers adds value and strength because they have been around the league for so long. They know what makes a good player and what makes an all-star.
All in all, I feel that this was a great article and an example of “good” sports journalism. The facts and statistics are there and his opinion is not. Spears did his homework and it shows.
Marc Spears. January 30,2009. Boston.com.
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/30/pierce_is_the_celtics_only_all_star_reserve
In the article titled “Pierce is the Celtics’ only reserve” Spears does a good job leaving his opinion out and giving the readers just hard facts. Throughout the entire article he gives a statement then follows with a quote explaining that statement. Whether or not Spears personal views are in the story, it is not evident to the reader. By leaving his opinion out, it makes the article stronger and allows the reader to create his or her own opinion about the topic. As a sports fan this makes the article more exciting to read.
After reading the article it is evident that Spears did his homework on the Boston Celtics, both past and present. If you are or aren’t a Celtics fan you are able to gain some knowledge on the team and its personnel. At the same time, he provides facts about different teams and players around the league. Comparing and contrasting the players that made the all-star team to the players that didn’t is a great tactic. As a huge Boston Celtics fan, I am still bitter about the fact that we didn’t get more than two all-stars. Spears comparison fueled my anger because the statistics don’t lie and players like Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo should have been named all-stars.
Another aspect I enjoyed about Spears article is the usage of quotes. The content of all of his quotes wrapped the story together and were placed perfectly within the story. Reading quotes from Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers makes for a strong sports piece. Hearing from past players and now coaches and general managers adds value and strength because they have been around the league for so long. They know what makes a good player and what makes an all-star.
All in all, I feel that this was a great article and an example of “good” sports journalism. The facts and statistics are there and his opinion is not. Spears did his homework and it shows.
Marc Spears. January 30,2009. Boston.com.
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/30/pierce_is_the_celtics_only_all_star_reserve
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