Women commentators in various sports and different countries

[andrew7610]

Jill Douglas is excellent at the track cycling. I can't comment on whether this is true of her rugby union coverage as its a sport I never watch, but I assume it is.

[Hot Pepsi]

Women have made a lot of progress in US sports media, but still face a lot of resistance.

Some of them are good at it and some really aren't, but that shows progress. The first women to do it had to be twice as good to go half as far, as the saying goes, but now it seems that even mediocre talents can get a gig just as it is for men, so that's progress. Then again, some men who are really bad at it can still get jobs if they're ex players, whereas I don't think we're quite there with women.

I feel sort of bad for Beth Mowins. She does college football play-by-play for ESPN. She's not bad at it. But for various reasons - including her gender, I think - she always seems to be doing the shit early afternoon games. If your team is in that slot, it means either they're not very good, or the opponent is not very good in which case you'll have to listen to her talk up the chances of the underdog, of course. So I just associate her voice with the years where Penn State has been lousy. It's not her fault.

[ursus arctos]

I thought that the UK had moved on from "summariser" as it isn't really what they have done for some time, at least on live broadcasts.

The USian "color commentator" is more of a co-commentator, generally there to offer "expert insight". They are predominantly ex-players and can vary massively in quality. When looking at the US commentating landscape, one needs to keep in mind the sheer volume of "content". On television and streaming, ESPN will offer broadcasts of dozens of college basketball games most evenings and twenty plus college football games every weekend. Every US professional team will have both a television and radio crew for their broadcasts. When I watch NHL.tv, it isn't unusual for me to be offered a choice of one of four television commentaries.

I obviously don't listen to Italian commentary as much as when we lived there, but from what I've seen, it continues to be highly retrograde, with women generally relegated to "eye candy" roles on football and other "major" sports (Berlusconi "invented" a role played by a conventionally attractive young woman in high heels and a revealing outfit that has dominated the role for decades now).

Things are somewhat better on "Olympic" sports and a few women have made it as presenters. Ilaria d'Amico has hosted Sky Italia's football coverage for years, and Paolo Ferrari had a similar role on RAI.

[Incandenza]

There are a handful of female commentators (as opposed to the ubiquitous female "sideline reporters") in major professional and university sports in the US. We have had a woman lead a Monday Night Football (gridiron) broadcast and had all women teams do NBA broadcasts. Some of the most prominent "colour" commentators are also female (many observers consider Doris Burke to the be the best NBA commentator of any gender).

Yes, Doris Burke. The best. But still kept on the sideline by ESPN during the NBA finals, while we have to suffer through Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy as the color commentators. Though she did call some earlier playoff series on ESPN radio.

[matt j]

Rebecca Lowe does the NBC Premier League hosting (usually), there are two guys who cover for her but she's much better in my opinion. The coverage itself is much better (generally) when it is her and Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe. They added Tim Howard recently, and... alas, I just don't think he's very good.

TNT had a female host for the in studio portion of CL games, but that whole coverage was terrible, so I can't speak as to whether she was any good herself. (Howard was there too.)

I think we've had discussions (arguments?) on here before that Julie Foudy should basically be doing more commentary/analysis, though I don't know what she gets now except for USWNT games.

Cheryl Miller (aka the best basketball player in her family) used to do more NBA stuff including commentary, didn't she, not just sideline?

[Incandenza]

Cheryl Miller (aka the best basketball player in her family)

Anyway, it's been a while, I think she might have been in studio for some things, but I don't remember her much apart from being on the sideline.

I thought Foudy was fine, but I remember a lot of real OTT backlash against her, saying how bad she was.

Good call about Rebecca Lowe. Though again, just hosting in the studio. Networks don't seem to think that audiences will want women actually calling the games.

[Satchmo Distel]

I didn't like Foudy when she did Euro 2008, where it didn't seem that she'd done any homework, but maybe she's improved since then?

[ursus arctos]

She has

[Janik]

Sam Quek is another who appears to be working towards all-encompassing presenting. But in her case she seems more like the next in line for a Claire Balding/Sue Barker kind of niche.

[fatbear]

I would second all the cricket ones mentioned ; Isa Guha, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Alex Hartley and Alison Mitchell. Mitchell's Stumped show on World Service is great as well.

I also like the South Africa Cricinfo correspondant, Firdose Moonda. I haven't heard her commentating as such, but when they have her on the BBC or wherever to explain something in South African cricket, she is brilliant.

Yes, Firdose Moonda writes some very insightful articles on Cricinfo.

[fatbear]

Was it Donna Symmonds? She did the WI v Eng series in 1998, the 1999 World Cup and the Eng v WI series in 2000, according to Wiki

That is probably the person I am thinking of !

[Satchmo Distel]

Donna Symmonds authored the update to Michael Manley's 'History of West Indies Cricket'

https://books.google.com/books/about...d=s4R9PwAACAAJ

[diggedy derek]

I like Firdose Moonda a lot too. Covering SA cricket can't be the most straightforward brief, either.

[ursus arctos]

There's a good interview with her on one of Jarrod Kimber's podcasts that goes into some details of that.

[diggedy derek]

I didn't know Kimber did a podcast. Imagine that's worth checking out.

[ursus arctos]

He does two

Double Century is on the history of Test Cricket. The latest series was about D'Olivera and race.

Red Inker is interviews.

They tend also to be on YouTube (mostly without video, just a few stills)

[Satchmo Distel]

Kimber's refutation of Peter Oborne's thesis on the D'Oliveira meeting is excellent, although it still begs the question of why he was selected for the Ashes knowing that a good performance would make him an obvious pick for South Africa.

[Satchmo Distel]

Karen Carney was very good on Five Live's commentary for Arsenal v Man City today. Calm, authoritative, relaxed, clearly enjoying the game.