I grew up wanting to be an NHL play-by-play man. The speed of it, the excitement of trying to describe everything, allured me. My main method of practicing was to announce NHL video games as my friends played. It was perfect: my friends appreciated getting a break from the rote, mechanical phrases of the game’s announcers. I got to practice. And perhaps most importantly, the name of each puck carrier appeared on-screen, so I didn’t have to memorize the rosters of every NHL team. Little did I know, that experience would prove prophetic.
Check out this video:
It almost perfectly mimics my experience announcing video games growing up. The ability to visually track everything that happens on the rink no doubt will lead to innovations in the statistical and analytical realm. But importantly, it could also revolutionize the way announcers broadcast games. And there’s no telling where that revolution could lead.
For one, it could mean announcers don’t even need to be in the same arena as the game they’re calling. If, like in NHL video games, players’ names appear on-screen, an announcer could call a game from home. And if he could call a game from home, he could call multiple games per night, every night of the week. I, for one, can’t get enough of Bob Cole:
Moreover, advanced player tracking will enable broadcasters to bring numbers to their audience in real time. Play-by-play men have such a difficult tasks and so little time. The game moves quickly to begin with. During stoppages, they have to read ads, have to interact with their color commentators, have to wish little Ricky at home a happy birthday and much more. Figuring out how to incorporate score-adjusted Corsi or a player’s zone start percentage, and more importantly, explaining what that data means in simple, easy-to-understand language is nearly impossible within the flow of a game. But if the information appears on a screen right in front of their faces, and if they’re already well-versed in the numbers, they can pull it off.
The future—wherein Tyler Seguin collects the puck and the announcer cites his Corsi percentage (or his average skating speed, or his average shot distance) and how they contribute to his dominance—is not far off. And when we get there, even the average fan will understand, and likely appreciate, the game better.
