Enough already. Stop trying to make a splash. Stop trying to be so gimmicky. Just give this idea that’s been done before a rest. Permanently. Peacock recently broadcast a Sunday game between the Tigers and Royals with no announcers in the booth. There were reporters conducting interviews and showing fans different views of the ballpark, but there was no commentary. No play-by-play. No analyst. Been there. Done that. Now stop.
This sounds like a publicity stunt. As if to say, ‘our baseball broadcasts on Peacock are struggling, so let’s get people talking about us, right?’ I guess to an extent it worked, because people were talking about it and I’m writing about it.
Instead of traditional play-by-play and color analysis, the broadcast featured something “completely different,” as Sam Flood, NBC Sports executive producer puts it. There were reporters that took fans around Detroit’s Comerica Park, showing the game from different angles and vantage points.
“The whole idea of this is treating a game completely different. We’re going to take you out to the ballpark,” said Flood. “We just want to be the ultimate fan’s experience and spend it like anyone else. It’s an American holiday celebration weekend. We’re going to lean in and treat baseball like fans do.”
Ahmed Fareed, MLB Sunday Leadoff host and in-game reporter was part of the game. He was joined by Bally Sports Detroit analyst Craig Monroe and NBC Sports’ Britney Eurton.
“One of our goals for the Peacock game has been to celebrate the game and the players and everything that makes the sport special. So, for this game that kind of gives us an opportunity to celebrate everything that makes baseball special off the field,” Fareed said.
Reaction to the stunt was mixed on social media.
Those that did not enjoy the broadcast seemed to be turned off by the fact they couldn’t do what they normally do when watching a game.
Other viewers weren’t fans of the reporters and who they were interviewing, instead of focusing on the baseball game.
Some just didn’t seem overly impressed by the production, even if they didn’t realize the whole game would be without announcers.
There were those that enjoyed the broadcast and liked the way the game ‘breathed’ with only the natural sounds of the game shining through.
Others that were fans of the ‘experiment’ pointed out that the lack of constant talking was soothing.
There were also viewers that felt like they were being taken behind the scenes, which was enjoyable for some.
This is not the first time a network has tried the shtick, for lack of a better word.
TNT attempted “players only” broadcasts a few years ago, experimenting with NBA alumni on the game broadcasts instead of a traditional play-by-play and analyst set up. The idea was to let those who once played, talk about those that are currently playing. It didn’t work.
Late in the 1980 NFL season, NBC was looking for something to bring in some fans for a Dolphins/Jets game in Miami, so they went the ‘no announcer’ route. The plan was to have the PA announcer give a little more information after each play to help viewers on the telecast. The rest was just fan reaction at the old Orange Bowl. It was successful in bringing in curious viewers, but not something NBC deemed sustainable.
It was the brain child of Don Ohlmeyer. He was the first producer of Monday Night Football, produced and directed three Olympics broadcasts, won 16 Emmy awards and is a member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Yet, that broadcaster-less game continues to follow him.
“All the stuff I’ve done in my career,” Ohlmeyer told ESPN in 2010, “and that’s what I’m going to be remembered for. It serves me right.”
One lesser motivation for Ohlmeyer in presenting a game without announcers was reportedly to send a message that he thought announcers talked too much during telecasts, sometimes speaking less to inform than to fill space with the obvious. He felt that intruded on compelling action.
The late Dick Enberg was the top football announcer back then, and while nervous that the game would be a success, he did learn a few things. He spoke to ESPN in a 2010 interview that the experiment helped him in the long run.
“It improved me. Consciously, to this day, there are moments in every sport that I do when I kind of throw up my hands as if to say to myself and to my partner, ‘Let’s not talk. This moment is special, we don’t need to talk. Let’s let it play.’” That is a good lesson even today. Allow the game to breathe.
Look, you already know where I stand on this, but let me make a case. I’m not exactly sure how no announcers on a broadcast really serves an audience. To me it’s quite the opposite. Many people have the telecast on, but aren’t paying attention to every pitch and count on the announcers to let them know what’s going on.
If you start watching in the bottom of the fourth inning and it’s a 3-2 ballgame, how did the game get to this point? There’s nobody there to recap it for you. Graphics only can say so much.
Along those lines, there’s no explanation of confusing or controversial plays. How can such plays or instances be clarified?
Part of what I enjoy about doing play-by-play and hearing when I’m watching a telecast are the interesting back stories. The trials and tribulations of the 30-year-old rookie finally getting a shot at the big-league level. I want to hear about a pitcher developing a cutter in the offseason to help his cause. It feels kind of empty when an opportunity to share good information is wasted because nobody is in the booth.
Perhaps the biggest issue I have is there’s nobody there to set the scene, or to build drama in key moments. Those big sequences in a game need a play-by-play announcer to let you know just how important this situation is to the game. The telecast needs the words to support the picture and stress the enormity of what is happening at that time. It falls flat without it.
In some ways, I’d like to encourage more networks to try this, because they will help to prove my point even more. These ‘gimmicky’ telecasts, just reinforce what some of us see as normal and necessary. We need the play-by-play and analysis to make the broadcast complete.
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.
