Let me start by saying, I like Charles Barkley. I find him extremely entertaining on Inside the NBA. Barkley appeared with Ernie Johnson and Paul Bissonnette on The Steam Room and said he never listens to play-by-play on the radio. He went on to add, “I think that’s the stupidest thing in the world.”
“I would never listen to any sport on the radio. Let’s get that out the way,” Barkley exclaimed.
“I’m a visual person when it comes to sports. I just wouldn’t want to listen to it on the radio. I wanna watch it.”
Bissonnette, who does some analysis on Coyotes Radio broadcasts seemed dumbfounded by the commentary. Barkley seemed to be under the impression that you were required to listen to the broadcast from the very beginning to the end.
“You don’t gotta go start to finish. I don’t think there are any rules behind it. I think you’re missing out, Chuck.” Bissonnette exclaimed.
Barkley answered simply, “I got TV, Biz. Flat screen.”
Wow. Reading about the exchange, I thought that my first impression would be anger. As someone who calls baseball and basketball games on radio, I was almost offended.
Almost.
I quickly pivoted, especially after re-reading Bissonnette’s comment, “I think you’re missing out.” That’s when my feelings pivoted to sympathy for Sir Charles. I feel badly for the guy, who never got to hear Vin Scully poetically describe a baseball game. He never heard Merrill Reese call an Eagles game on a Sunday afternoon. How can that be? How do you know something is stupid, or you don’t like it without trying it?
Ugh, I just heard my wife in my head “how do you know you don’t like broccoli if you’ve never tried it?”. I think she’s right and it applies to Barkley in this case too. Come on Chuck, try some broccoli.
Barkley is completely missing out on a sensory experience unlike any other. Radio pulls on your emotions so much better than television. You are completely dependent on the person behind the microphone to set the scene accurately and with the right sense of drama. Isn’t there something about having to picture the field, or court in your mind, based on how it’s described to you? Barkley doesn’t think so, but he couldn’t be more wrong.
So, let me clue Mr. Barkley in on exactly what he’s missing these days. The men and women that broadcast games for MLB, the NFL, NHL and NBA are extremely talented and put in a lot of work.
They possess some of the best voices and are the most respected analysts in the game. They are dedicated to bringing you the sounds of the game in the best way possible. To completely ignore them is not only wrong, it’s criminal.
Ok, not criminal but you get the gist.
BEST VOICES
Barkley isn’t privy to hearing some of the greatest voices to call professional sports these days. I mean come on, can you imagine never listening to a baseball game being called by Tom Hamilton in Cleveland? Not ever being treated to a “Swing and a drive, awaaaay back, and gone!” when a Cleveland Guardian hits a home run?
Charles probably has never even heard a Packers game called by the great Wayne Larrivee. Does he even realize what he’s missing? How will he know when there’s a “Dagger” moment if he’s not listening? The way Larrivee describes the formations before the snap, paint such a vivid picture, even Barkley’s flat screen television couldn’t capture the moment better. That’s the art of play-by-play that Charles doesn’t fully appreciate.
Having played in Phoenix, how could Barkley not listen to the dean of all NBA play-by-play announcers, Al McCoy? He used to call you Sir Charles and you’ve really never heard a “Shazam” or a “Whammo”? What a shame.
McCoy is hanging it up this year after 51 consecutive seasons with the Suns, none of which have been heard by Charles Barkley. That is unfathomable!
Imagine that he’s never heard the smooth sounds of Brad Sham in Dallas, calling a Cowboys game. He probably has seen Kenny Albert call football, but he hasn’t heard him call hockey for the Rangers. Barkley hasn’t been treated to a summer afternoon of Pat Hughes calling Chicago Cubs baseball.
My point? Charles is missing out and like I said I feel badly for him. Barkley just dismisses radio. It’s been around longer than tv, and it’s a much harder medium to call a game on than the one on which he appears. Seeing a game through someone else’s eyes elicits great images in listener’s minds. All of them are Picassos of the airwaves and Barkley says radio broadcasts of sports are stupid. It’s shameful.
QUALITY ANALYSTS
Barkley is a great analyst, but the guys that do it on the radio are skilled professionals too. They are able to offer coherent commentary in far less time than is afforded on television. Making sense of a play they’ve witnessed in 20-30 seconds is a challenge, but they make it work in all sports.
Guys like Mychal Thompson with the Lakers radio broadcast make it sound rather easy. He uses the experiences gained while playing with the Showtime Lakers in the 80’s. Former NBA’er Tom Tolbert lends his expertise to Golden State Warriors radio broadcasts. He’s had experience in co-hosting and on television as well. He offers a unique perspective as a former player, and as a media personality in San Francisco. Tolbert, like Thompson, understands the importance of saying a lot with a few words. It’s a talent that should not go under appreciated.
NFL booths also feature analysts with cache. David Archer, who alongside Wes Durham, offers analysis for Atlanta Falcons football games on the radio. Archer, the former NFL quarterback, is making a mark in the ATL as a media personality. Listeners can learn a lot about the game from his commentary. Barkley would get a different perspective if he would just listen to Lomas Brown and Tom Thayer, who as former offensive lineman, work color commentary for the Lions and Bears respectively.
Talented former players also grace MLB booths across the country. These guys are just waiting to teach and tell stories about the game they love. People like Dan Gladden in Minnesota have a passion for the game that is off the charts. Gladden even brings a glove to games in case a foul ball comes his way. Mark Langston, Ron Coomer, Tom Candiotti, Steve Sparks and Darrin Jackson are a few of the former big leaguers that provide expert commentary on the radio.
I’m sure, that since Barkley says he goes to Phillies games, he likes baseball. He’d like it a lot more if he would just tune in to listen to these former players.
USE OF SOUND AND AMBIENCE
The best broadcasts are ones that make you feel like you are there, through the various sounds of the game. Ambient noise of a vendor selling beer, a fan heckling a player and that constant murmur of the crowd as the game goes on are what it’s all about. You don’t get that during a typical television broadcast. Yeah, I know you can see it all, but it’s the noises from the stadium that complete the ‘picture’ so to speak.
Broadcast engineers are diligent in their use of natural sound. Microphones set up all over the place. There’s mics to pick up the crack of the bat, the ball popping the glove of the catcher as its thrown from the pitcher and a crowd mic too. All of the things that are better heard on the radio. Some of those sounds you can’t even hear if you’re at the game.
It’s clear to me and anyone that enjoys listening to those “stupid” sporting events on the radio, Barkley is missing out. Dissing broadcasters and analysts that work as hard as those on television is stupid. Professionals, and in some cases, Hall of Famers litter the radio landscape and have built reputations and followings because of the way they do their jobs. People are listening despite what Barkley says. It’s very short sighted to categorically dismiss the medium. Extremely short sighted in my view.
I would love the opportunity to listen to a game with Barkley, so I can point out all the nuances and elements that he’s missing. Given the chance, I would help him appreciate the great voices, analysts and the total experience of hearing a sporting event on the radio. He would understand what a great companion radio can be, maybe as he’s driving to Subway? I’m ready whenever you are Sir Charles.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
