The commentator takes a breath

An original opinion article about sports commentary.

The best commentator knows when a sentence has finished even if the event has not. There is a temptation to fill every pause, as though silence proves that the microphone has been left unattended. At times, the sound from the ground is already telling us something worth hearing.

I am thinking particularly of television. The picture can show a runner crossing the line while the crowd supplies the force of the moment. A stream of invented superlatives may add less than a short identification followed by room for that response. Words can compete with the event they were meant to share.

Yet silence is not a universal achievement. A viewer may need to know why a result has changed or what a decision means. The camera may follow the celebration while an important explanation remains unavailable. Knowledge should help the audience understand, including people for whom the sport is unfamiliar.

The task changes with the medium too. A radio listener cannot rely on the image which made a television pause intelligible. Location, movement and relationships may need to be supplied in words. Praising restraint without considering what the audience can perceive would turn a useful judgement into an empty rule.

I also want a commentator to distinguish what is visible from what is being guessed. An athlete’s expression is not a complete account of their thoughts. Excitement does not make speculation factual, however confidently it is delivered.

Commentary earns its place by attending to the audience’s experience. Sometimes that means an exact explanation, sometimes a description, sometimes the courage to stop talking. The amount of speech is less important than whether it helps us follow what is happening.

Explain the writer’s view of how a commentator should decide what to say and when to speak.