Broadcasting the Macs

I was recently given the unique opportunity to broadcast a Maccabees basketball game as a part of the internet radio crew for Macslive.com. It has always been one of my dreams to become a sports announcer, so naturally I was intrigued by this opportunity. Additionally, after jealously listening to thousands of sporting events being broadcast by experts such as Dick Vitale and Gus Johnson, I wanted to see how hard it would be to follow in their footsteps. I accepted the offer and was set to test my abilities on the air during a conference match-up against the Bard College Raptors. I was in for a surprise.

I was to be the color commentator, while my roommate, Ari Roth, was responsible for the play-by-play. The role of the play-by-play man is to record every action that takes place in the game. He is the eyes for all of the listeners and is relied upon to keep the listeners informed about the score, the time left in the game, and the result of each play. My responsibility as the color commentator was to give deeper analysis about each play. If the defense switched from a man to a zone, I needed to be on top of it and let those listening to the game know about it. If David Shaulewicz, the Mac's senior point guard, settled down the offense after a potential fast break opportunity and set up a successful half court set, I needed to let them know about David's masterful control of the game and his team. In essence, it was my job to break down the game and let the listeners know about any momentous swings, strategic trends, or pertinent statistics throughout the game.

In preparation for the game, Ari, a much more experienced broadcaster, gave me the statistics for both the Maccabees and Raptors. Additionally, I was given box scores and game summaries of recent games and the last time the two squads met. Pouring over this information was vital as I needed filler material to discuss during lagging moments in the broadcast such as free throws and timeouts. I reviewed YU's overtime victory over Bard and found important statistics such as YU's season high being 63% field goal shooting leading them to a win despite being out-rebounded 41-24. I also learned about YU's three game losing streak on the road, which had followed a dramatic one point home victory over Old Westbury. Reviewing previous games' recaps and player statistics was particularly important for me because I had only seen one YU basketball game before the Bard match up.

When the night of the game came, I was surprised that I was not too nervous. I showed up fifteen minutes before game time to meet my on-air partner and the technical crew led by Danny Cohn and Asher Goldberg. Ari and I went over some last minute preparations such as which stats would be cited by whom and before I knew it we put on our headsets and we were on the air. Any lingering butterflies I had bouncing around in my stomach became fire breathing dragons. As my partner's voice boomed with an introduction to Macslive.com and a Skyline Conference game being played in the Max Stern Athletic Center, I became shell shocked. After Ari finished his introduction of the Maccabees, he turned it over to me to introduce the Bard College Raptors. Still stunned by the fact that we were on the air, I stood there blankly. It took a nudge from my roommate to get me to mumble out the three leading scorers on Bard and the fact that they are a high-scoring team and that strong defense would be the key in the upcoming game. Because I was struggling to get by, Ari took control and sent the broadcast down to the scorers' table for the National Anthems and player introductions.

When the game began, I felt tight and constrained. I imagined being able to use my natural instincts and knowledge of the game of basketball as a tool to carry me through the broadcast, but found myself struggling to make imaginative points. Additionally, I struggled to find openings to speak in between Ari's play-by-play commentary and often found myself interrupting my colleague. I was unsure of the extent of the problem until I heard Asher Goldberg's voice in my ear warning me not to commit the error anymore. After a personally shaky first half, the Macs were playing fine as they only trailed by one even after a lucky buzzer beating three by a Bard shooter.

We were taken off the air during halftime, our only break during the entire game, as the listeners were treated to the pre-game interview of Coach Halpert conducted by my partner. During halftime, Ari and I were given a printout of the first half's stats and this was our only opportunity to take a look at the official stats during the game. In addition to taking a look at the numbers, Ari and I came up with a strategy whereby every time I had a point to make I would tap him to get his attention. This strategy worked out well as I calmed down in the second half and the chemistry I expected to have on the air with my roommate came to fruition. By the end of the game, I had loosened up enough to pull out a pun about how the Maccabees had "caged" the Raptors en-route to their 65-47 victory.

Overall, I was fairly pleased with my performance during the Bard game, but I had been itching for an opportunity to make up for my sketchy output during the first half. I was given this opportunity when a last minute cancellation had me announcing a non-conference match up between the Macs and the Brooklyn College Bridges. I went into this game with more confidence and increased enthusiasm. In my second broadcast with Ari by my side once again, I faired much better. However, this was not to say that I had mastered the art of broadcasting. Not by any means. I still struggled to fill in the myriad of gaps in between plays and timeouts. I struggled to maintain enthusiasm throughout the broadcast and sometimes was not articulate enough in describing what was happening.

This particularly rang true when I reacted to Zach Gordon's emphatic two-handed dunk in the midst of a 12-0 YU run by simply screaming into the mike. Not only did the technical crew not appreciate the ringing in their ears following my caveman-like expression, it goes without saying that none of the listeners had any clue what was going on. Unfortunately for the Macs, this was the highlight of the game as after a one point halftime lead, they would go on to lose to the hot shooting Brooklyn squad, 76-61.

I had a great time announcing these two games and look forward to any opportunity to do it again. At the same time, the experience showed me how much goes into the art of broadcasting a sporting event. It not only requires a strong understanding of the sport itself, but also requires dedicated research about each team, charisma, a true sense of the flow of the game and the ability to transmit this flow over the air to the listeners. I have learned to appreciate and respect the jobs done by professional broadcasters and, in particular, play-by-play men who are essentially obligated to speak without pause for 80% of the game. Next time I tune into a sporting event and listen to a master like Gus Johnson, I know I will be more appreciative of the fact that he is the one in the booth.