Turn down the Volume – Turn Up the Heat!

by Ivette Ricco, President of Femmefan.com

May 9, 2004

Turn Down the Volume!

Huh, say again, what? I seem to be losing my hearing. It could be due to the years I spent spinning on the dance floor to the disco beat, or maybe it’s a result of listening to Walkman at the maximum level on the dial, or maybe, it’s simply old age.

But whatever the reason, there seems to be no way to filter the incessant, intrusive and escalating SCREAMING AT US volume in vogue amongst sports announcers.

Passionate sports fans do enjoy the hysteria sports announcers exhibit during intense moments in a game, but why is that level of passion now being used to announce every damn occurrence no matter how trivial?

It is one thing to hear the historic voices of sports announcers screaming it’s – “Going, Going, Gone “or, “Touch Down K-A-N-S-A-S C-I-T-Y”.

But it’s quite another thing to listen to Michael Irvin go crazy over the NFL draft (or any innocuous happening). One has to wonder if he’s lost his mind or is simply hearing impaired. Perhaps his past cocaine use has left him irreparably amped.

I do admit that in the midst of the annual Bore-A-Thon (also known as the NFL Draft), Irvin’s screaming woke me mid-snore. Okay, so maybe I am a little cranky. But isn’t it enough to be expected to endure the endless NFL Draft? Apparently not, now we have a new and annoying element to contend with, YELLING AT US! Or simply put - PAY ATTENTION TO ME!

Me thinketh that good old boy John Madden may have given birth to the new breed of announcers who use effects to punctuate their comment. But Madden’s POWS and BAMS are simple exclamation points in comparison to the new Shout Out breed of announcer. And, Madden always had a point to make, even if it was somewhat subliminally veiled.

Tune into some of the newest sports-content offerings such as “Around the Horn, Pardon the Interruption, Best Damn Sports Show, and you might want to keep your finger ready to hit the mute button or stick a few cotton balls in your ears to muffle the sound.

Now the likes of Irvin, and every Joe Shmoe hurl their opinions at us in the LOUDEST possible terms trying to make their voices heard above everyone else’s even if they have absolutely zilch to offer. I foresee them picking up their shoes and banging on the desk A-La-Khrushchev just to make their point. Yes, we really need to hear them point out that, “LE BRON IS THE REAL DEAL!” No shit!

It may be that there is a secret competition between announcers that viewers are unaware of. Is it possible that they are compensated according to who can talk the loudest or scream the longest, or drown out the rest of the announcers, most effectively?

Are they keeping score back in the production booth for making a non-point or pointing out the obvious?

Perhaps they get an extra buck or two in their paycheck for sending the decibel level over the top.

I just want to pull an Archie Bunker and yell right back at them, “STIFLE” already!

Turn up the Heat!

On the distaff side of the announcing game, the women are turning up the heat. Slowly, and cautiously they are taking baby steps in this male dominated field.

Perhaps nothing drove home the point that men still perceive the female announcer as a woman first and a professional second, more clearly than Joe Willy Namath’s nationally televised sloppy drunken “hit” on Suzy Kolber. But, the female sports announcer is slowly but surely “representing”.

Monday Night Football has made a smart move by replacing Lisa Guerrero on the MNF sidelines with Michelle Tayofa, thank you Football Gods! Finally, a female reporter who knows the game and won’t make us female fans squirm in our seats as the men “diss” the female reporter’s lack of game smarts.

Guerrero was constantly criticized by the national media and never seemed at ease in her role after taking over for Melissa Stark on the MNF sidelines.

Monday Night Football producer Fred Gaudelli said Guerrero wasn’t a good fit for the job. “The sideline reporter role is an incredibly hectic environment, nothing is predictable, “ Gaudelli said.

Tafoya joined ESPN in 2000 and has served as an NBA sideline reporter. Her resume includes men’s and women’s basketball play-by-play and studio host as well as sideline reporter for college and basketball telecasts. Tafoya has also served as a substitute host on “Pardon the Interruption”, and as a panelist on “Sports Reports II”. In addition Tafoya’s assignments for ESPN included calling WBNA games, and hosting skiing telecasts.

Before joining ESPN Tafoya worked for CBS Sports as a game reporter and studio host for NFL, college football and college basketball telecasts.

This is the third change in 3 seasons for MNF’s sidelines reporter. Melissa Stark and Eric Dickerson were paired in 2000 and 2001.

Melissa Stark did not return for a fourth season, but she did accept a position with NBC as a Today show national correspondent and will help cover the 2004 Olympics.

I’m eager to see how Ms. Tafoya handles the MNF assignment. Hopefully her experience and knowledge will add a touch of class to the sidelines and help to turn up the heat at the networks for equal opportunity. Certainly she will be an upgrade from recent sideline coverage for all fans, male and female.

 

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