Knowing our place

There have recently been some complaints about the facility and behavior of sports broadcasters covering major events. A lot of chatter online concerns lack of preparation, bias, and even insulting losing teams. Some impropriety of local and foreign media on the beat for the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight have also ( wrongly) been lumped into this category. A spotlight has been cast onto how we cover our sporting events, and with the Southeast Asian Games imminent, that spotlight is bound to get harsher.

Over the last 10 years alone, over three dozen former athletes, fans, bloggers, writers, reporters and even photographers have been drawn into sports commentating, as radio announcers, game annotators, courtside reporters, and so on. I can guarantee that virtually none of them have been trained for broadcast. They’re pretty much left to their own devices, which opens them up to sounding like they’re doing radio when they’re on television, or sounding like they’re hosting a variety show. The root of the problem is the general direction they are given. While some producers do conduct training for newcomers, it is inevitably forgotten, and there is no parallel for older broadcasters.

It is always difficult to differentiate the personality with the role. Obviously, many of us wear different hats. We write columns for newspapers, blog, and commentate on sports exclusively for specific networks. But we ourselves have to be clear about which hat we are wearing at a specific time. Are we conscious of how our views are influenced by our employers? It is always a delicate line to comment on a league or team your home network is covering. But if you have another platform, then by all means, express your concerns, but do so fairly, providing an avenue for all sides to be aired.

This arises the issue of sports broadcasters who have their own shows outside of covering games. Can they just say whatever they want? Obviously not. This is where it gets complicated, but not really. There are rules of propriety and etiquette that we must generally follow, just as there are differences between what you can say on television and on radio. Radio’s limits are broader, for quite a few reasons. Television seems to be the more personal medium, because they can see your face when you’re talking, and add a layer of interpretation to your actions. This gets some people into trouble.

The late Joe Cantada, a 30-year broadcast veteran, sang professionally. I even have his CD “Joe Cantada in 12 Rounds”. But I never heard him sing on the air, neither during a boxing match or a PBA game. This was, to me, a sign of respect for his profession. He would tell jokes, use puns, but rarely while a game was in progress, and more often, to make a point. He used Latin and quoted masters. He learned basketball halfway into his career. But he always knew respect.

Also, he knew his place, and valued it. I clearly remember a Ginebra game I was producing in the early 1990’s. An ESPN crew was at courtside to take footage of Robert Jaworski. When they were shown on camera, Andy Jao acknowledged that their colleagues were at the game for that purpose. Joe figuratively wagged his finger, emphasizing that he and Jao were commentators, and that was “merely” a field crew. They were not colleagues. That incident stuck with me. We should remember our place, and give it the proper respect.

Playing to the lowest common denominator is an easy out. It is also unfair to the audience, over the last 30 years, we’ve been taught to treat our audience as if they had a Grade 5 reading level, which I’ve always found to be in bad taste. That’s why the general status quo of television in the Philippines has remained. Perhaps it’s time that the new generation of sports broadcasters take a long, serious look at what they are trying to achieve, who they’re really talking to. Being on the air is a privilege that should, as a rule, be taken seriously.

Today, there is much casualness in sports broadcasting, which, in my opinion, is used to mask a lack of preparedness. But any information you need is out there. As a reporter, I covered, the Senate, Congress, Malacañang, business, police and military beats. Sports people are the most approachable and generally the most cooperative. All coaches are teachers at heart who wish to educate, and get feedback. It doesn’t take much effort to know your subject, what their strategies are, and how they intend to match up. And though a lot of this information is within the purview of the courtside reporter, why can’t commentators do their homework, as well? They’re required to be in the venue two hours before game time, at about the same time the coaches and players get there. Striking up a conversation is easy, and it helps everybody.

With all due respect, some younger sports commentators under- dress, thinking they look hip. Frankly, wearing sneakers to cover any game is unacceptable. As recently as last year, a young announcer wore rubber shoes and skinny jeans in hosting an after-game awarding. I could only shake my head in disappointment. Granted, you are supposed to wear rubber-soled shoes so as not to damage the maplewood floors of our best basketball arenas. At the very least, business attire is appropriate. What you would wear in a formal setting is what you would wear to a coverage. That means rubber-soled leather shoes. It sends the wrong message, and tells other people that they can disrespect our profession, as well.

Filipinos are very proud of their basketball knowledge, for example. This raises the bar for anyone who commentates the game. Since the general public knows a lot, as Latin American or European spectators understand football more deeply than other countries, you really have to know your stuff. Some of the things Noel Zarate and I used to teach at the Center for Sports Communication were the differences between amateur and professional rules, the distinction between a steal and an interception, the definition of a team rebound, and specific rules teams can exploit, such as being able to substitute players after a timeout, so the other team isn’t aware of the change. Unfortunately, there are no qualification exams for sports broadcasters. It is merely a matter of personal preference. Perhaps it’s time for selfregulation.