You Too Can Become A Sports Commentator...

- Shreeprakash Sharma

When we talk of a commentator what conjures up rapidly to our mind is the figure of a person, with uber charming, suave and sophisticated personality, and who speaks so fast yet so immaculately correct and, yet more, so entertainingly lucid to the audiences on a radio or television or on a public places thronged by the high profile personalities, celebrities and common masses as well.

However, by the term ‘sports commentator’ we usually mean the commentator hired by the broadcasters of the sporting events, say cricket, hockey and football, kabaddi, and various other games and sports, and whose main responsibility is to cover the play-by-play action. But in real life the connotations go beyond this generally-believed perception.

A sports commentator usually describes the sporting events being played on a playground. These commentators also broadcast the description of the events on radio to the listeners. However, in the present age of satellite communication a sports commentator mainly works for the television and gives description of what is happening on the playground to the viewers.

Along with such commentaries of the sporting events on the fields the sports commentator also gives an account of the history of the cities and towns as well as traditions, descriptions and rituals of the people therein where the sports are being organised and played. Sometimes, they also record the comments of the sports experts and professionals present in the commentary box.

Going to playgrounds, talking and sharing with the players, taking their interviews and comments, getting feedback in between the games are also the important jobs which are well performed by an intelligent sports commentator.