Color commentator

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Main commentator Arsenio Cañada (middle) introduces the basketball game between CB Estudiantes and CB Málaga assisted by two color analysts: Manel Comas (left), former coach, and Juanma Iturriaga (right), former player.

A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "color commentator" is primarily used in American English; the person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) or analyst (a term used throughout the English-speaking world).[1] The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the main commentator is not describing the action.[2] The color commentator provides expert analysis and background information, such as statistics, strategy, and injury reports on the teams and athletes, and occasionally anecdotes or light humor. Color commentators are often former athletes or coaches of the sport being broadcast.[3]

The term color refers to levity and insight provided by a secondary announcer. A sports color commentator customarily works alongside the play-by-play broadcaster.[4][5][6]

United States and Canada[]

Commentary teams typically feature one professional commentator describing the passage of play, and another, usually a former player or coach, providing supplementary input as the game progresses. Color commentators usually restrict their input to times that the ball or the puck is out of play, or there is no significant action on the field or the court. They usually defer to the main commentator when a shot on goal or another significant event occurs. That sometimes results in them being talked over or cut short by the primary commentator. Former players and managers also appear as pundits and carry out a similar role to that of the co-commentator during the pre-game show before a given contest and the post-game show after it.

In American motorsports coverage, there may be as many as two color commentators in the booth for a given broadcast.[7]

In the 2010s, broadcasts of American football began to employ "rules analysts", who provide opinions and insights on calls made by officials. They are typically a former official, such as Mike Pereira.[8][9][10]

United Kingdom[]

In the United Kingdom, the term "color commentator" is largely unknown. The equivalent role is usually called "summariser" but other terms used are "analyst", "pundit" or simply "co-commentator". Cricket coverage on ESPNcricinfo uses similar terminology.

Australia and New Zealand[]

The term is not used in Australia or New Zealand. Those giving the analysis alongside the main commentator are sometimes said to be giving additional or expert analysis, or "special comments", or they may be referred to as "expert commentators".

Latin America[]

For soccer broadcasts on Latin American sports television channels, such a commentator is called a comentarista in both Spanish and Portuguese and contrasts with the narrador, locutor (Spanish and Portuguese) or relator (Portuguese) who leads the transmission. The term "color" is not used or translated.

References[]

  1. ^ "Color commentator | Define Color commentator at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  2. ^ "What Is a Color Commentator?". work.chron.com. Houston Chronicle. 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  3. ^ "Announcers: Occupational Outlook Handbook — What Announcers Do". Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  4. ^ "Color Commentary and Play by Play: A Well-Rounded Approach to Facebook". Inkling Media. 2012-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  5. ^ "The Sportscaster: A Brief History & Job Description". Americansportscastersonline.com. 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  6. ^ John Lund (2012-11-27). "The Top Three Keys For Becoming a Color Commentator". Sportsideo.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  7. ^ Kedzie, Julie (2013-07-18). "Julie Kedzie Breaks Down the Art of MMA Color Commentary". FIGHTLAND. Fightland.vice.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  8. ^ Deitsch, Richard (January 11, 2012). "NFL's most indispensable broadcasting talents". Sports Illustrated.
  9. ^ McCarthy, Michael (September 6, 2016). "Fox NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira is lethal 'weapon' rival networks don't have". Sporting News. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  10. ^ "Rise of the TV rules analysts shows the NFL has a problem". the Guardian. 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
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