Should pool stream commentators be player-neutral?

sunnyone

cum grano salis
Silver Member
If so, it’s often an artificial neutrality. Strained.

Commentators are, for the most part, human. They have favorites, they have adversaries, styles they admire, strategies they detest, players they loathe.

From a profit perspective -- if DVDs of a PPV match are later going to be sold -- perhaps impartiality is for the best.

Or, perhaps not.

I think that allowing on-air pool personalities to reveal their honest rooting interests would add color to the color commentary. (I’m not referring to those late night, drunken rants ... although those can be fun in their own way!)

Perhaps -- during a two-in-the-booth presentation -- it would add even more zest if each analyst were sincerely cheering for a different player.

My guess is that pool streaming took its cue from televised sporting events. (ESPN may have been the bridge?)

On TV, we find such a buttoned-down objectivity to the commentary -- such a politically-correct blandness -- that their self-enforced neutrality stands in rather sharp counterpoint to any on-screen excitement.

I think that this blather-boringness may be one reason why, these days, so many viewers watch television in conjunction with social media … these hyper-engaged spectators create instant community rooting sections that are otherwise uninspired by ‘professional’ announcers.

Commentary on commentary is my life,

Sunny

P. S. One positive variation that could possibly spike pool-viewing interests would be to have a girl (yes, a girl!) behind one of the mics. During the boys’ competitions.

That may occasionally happen? But I imagine it’s fairly recherché, mon cher.
 
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From a profit perspective -- if DVDs of a PPV match are later going to be sold -- perhaps impartiality is for the best.

Or, perhaps not.

I think that allowing on-air pool personalities to reveal their honest rooting interests would add color to the color commentary. (I’m not referring to those late night, drunken rants ... although those can be fun in their own way!)

Perhaps -- during a two-in-the-booth presentation -- it would add even more zest if each analyst were sincerely cheering for a different player.

My guess is that pool streaming took its cue from televised sporting events. (ESPN may have been the bridge?)

On TV, we find such a buttoned-down objectivity to the commentary -- such a politically-correct blandness -- that their self-enforced neutrality stands in rather sharp counterpoint to any on-screen excitement.

I think that this blather-boringness may be one reason why, these days, so many viewers watch television in conjunction with social media … these hyper-engaged spectators create instant community rooting sections that are otherwise uninspired by ‘professional’ announcers.

Commentary on commentary is my life,

Sunny

Nah, they need to come across as impartial. Unless it's something localized, you can't alienate half of the viewers. "Self-enforced(etc etc)".. well, they obviously shouldn't sound like Ben Stein during the entire thing, but you also can't have a couple of guys 10 feet from the action and jumping up and down in excitement. Perhaps the commentators should do the job from a separate room?

As for the 'blandness', you need good color commentating. Going to games in L.A. when I was a kid, I was always surprised at how many people still brought their radios with them to listen to the commentators while sitting in the stands.
 
I wouldn't care if they rooted for a player just so they remained fair. I enjoy listening to the commentating and just so the stream is quality and lets face it most of them are free or a very small fee, so if they want to root for someone I say have at it !!
 
It doesn't matter as long as they aren't being overly negative or partial towards one competitor. Quite often when watching football or baseball games, you can tell that an announcer favors one team over another. It's just the way it is.
 
it seems to me that the most popular commentators (and reporters) are the ones with some kind of colorful personality. they're still objective, but personable, stimulating and entertaining.
 
Announcers on ESPN and Fox Sports are impartial (for the most part.) Specific team announcers are anything but. However, they show the opposing team the proper respect.

For example, I listen to baseball on the radio. As a Phillies fan, I'm listening to the Phillies radio feed so I get Phillies-biased announcers. But when the other team makes a great play, the Phillies announcers still yell, and say "A great catch by Joe Blow to tag-up Utley to end the inning!"

So, I don't care if a pool commentator is partial to one player or the other, so long as he/she treats the other player appropriately.
 
The day they stick Hawk Harrelson in the booth of a taped pool match, is the day I stop watching pool DVD's.

Yes, Chicagoans, I'm lookin' at you.
 
I feel that as long as they show respect they can have their opinion. When I am listening to streaming commentary, especially for an action match, i like to think that I am sitting next to a couple of knowledgeable guys who are talking about the match. Other than the regular play by play of what is happening in the match, I like to hear stories about the players, other players, news, w/e. If the guys have an opinion about the players I'd like to hear it, they just need to be respectful. I feel this way for any match but more so for random small venue streaming that doesn't have professional commentators. For the major events with professional announcers I feel they should be as impartial as possible. Part of what I like about the smaller streams is the random people jumping on the mike, the opinions, the stories, and sometimes things that you might not here from a professional commentator. These things make the broadcast a little more interesting for me. Just don't be a dick to any of the players ever.
 
Personally I don't really care who's side they're on as long as it's the game in front of them that they're discussing. I get a little tired of the "what i had for lunch" routine. I don't need stream of conscience commentary to enjoy a good match and I feel like a lot of the time it's completely unnecessary chatter. Like they feel compelled to say something about everything that happens when just kicking back for a bit and watching the match is perfectly fine most of the time.
 
They should be neutral, and professional. Find a professional pool commentator is probably the hardest part. You need some one that is articulate, knowledgeable, and well versed in the lingo of pool. I think there are people like this out there, but not readily available to fly in for a 1-3 day match with out pay.

I think some of the best I've hear was Joe Rogan on TAR.

The biggest thing that gets on my nerves is when they start bench racing this player against that player. I get it, you think Pino's are unstoppable, and no one could've ever beat buddy hall playing 9ball... Just my pet peeve.

I just don't think there is enough dough to go around to cultivate REAL QUALITY commentation.

best,

Justin
 
To complicate matters, everyone hears things differently. What is clearly neutral to one is clearly biased to the next person.

Truth be told, I was watching a recorded stream and I was getting very aggravated at how biased the commentator sounded. Unfortunately, I was the commentator and I know 100% I wasn't biased.

You can't please everyone. And sometimes, you can't please yourself.


Freddie <~~~ but if you try sometimes, you might find.... you get what you need.
 
If so, it’s often an artificial neutrality. Strained.

Commentators are, for the most part, human. They have favorites, they have adversaries, styles they admire, strategies they detest, players they loathe.

From a profit perspective -- if DVDs of a PPV match are later going to be sold -- perhaps impartiality is for the best.

Or, perhaps not.

I think that allowing on-air pool personalities to reveal their honest rooting interests would add color to the color commentary. (I’m not referring to those late night, drunken rants ... although those can be fun in their own way!)

Perhaps -- during a two-in-the-booth presentation -- it would add even more zest if each analyst were sincerely cheering for a different player.

My guess is that pool streaming took its cue from televised sporting events. (ESPN may have been the bridge?)

On TV, we find such a buttoned-down objectivity to the commentary -- such a politically-correct blandness -- that their self-enforced neutrality stands in rather sharp counterpoint to any on-screen excitement.

I think that this blather-boringness may be one reason why, these days, so many viewers watch television in conjunction with social media … these hyper-engaged spectators create instant community rooting sections that are otherwise uninspired by ‘professional’ announcers.

Commentary on commentary is my life,

Sunny

P. S. One positive variation that could possibly spike pool-viewing interests would be to have a girl (yes, a girl!) behind one of the mics. During the boys’ competitions.

That may occasionally happen? But I imagine it’s fairly recherché, mon cher.

If you come to see or play in The Ultimate 10 Ball Championship in June you have an invitation to sit in the booth with me to do commentary but only sans dialogue parlant français :smile:
 
Joe rogan

They should be neutral, and professional. Find a professional pool commentator is probably the hardest part. You need some one that is articulate, knowledgeable, and well versed in the lingo of pool. I think there are people like this out there, but not readily available to fly in for a 1-3 day match with out pay.

I think some of the best I've hear was Joe Rogan on TAR.

The biggest thing that gets on my nerves is when they start bench racing this player against that player. I get it, you think Pino's are unstoppable, and no one could've ever beat buddy hall playing 9ball... Just my pet peeve.

I just don't think there is enough dough to go around to cultivate REAL QUALITY commentation.

best,

Justin

While I have not heard Joe Rogan commentate on pool, there is a reason he Is famous and gets paid a lot for what he does. Unfortunately the pool industry can rarely afford to pay a commentator of Joe Rogans caliber unless the commentator is very very interested in the pool world. Joe Rogan happens to be very into pool and billiards.
 
I find Ken Shuman's commentary extremely biased when he's commentating a match that Shane is playing. Shane's always getting unlucky..his opponent is always getting lucky, blah blah. It's a little annoying.
 
While I have not heard Joe Rogan commentate on pool, there is a reason he Is famous and gets paid a lot for what he does. Unfortunately the pool industry can rarely afford to pay a commentator of Joe Rogans caliber unless the commentator is very very interested in the pool world. Joe Rogan happens to be very into pool and billiards.

If you'd like to listen to Joe Rogan do some pool commentary with Jay Helfert, here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKf_d3G93y4
 
Neutral.....BUT..

It should be neutral, but I would love to hear more bacground on the players. Where are they from? Country? City?
I would also like to hear about any previous matchups between the 2 players. Like "so and so beat him 10 of the 13 matches". Stuff like that.
We always hear the same crapola about shooting at the 1ball and coming out 2 rail hape on the 2..blah blah...we can see what they are shooting!
A little more color commentary would be nice.
 
big time sports use a color guy or two

Many big time sports use color guys so the commentator can strive to be impartial while the other(s) in the booth keep things interesting. I have no problem with a pool commentator favoring one player but I do think they need to announce up front and maybe mention once or twice more in a longish broadcast that they do have a rooting interest.

Some of the most famous and greatest commentary in sports is the final lap of a certain Daytona Five Hundred. Ned Jarrett was the only one allowed to speak and he wasn't exactly impartial as he watched his son win Daytona!

Hu
 
Sorry, but commentary is so bad in other ways that partiality/impartiality is the least of its problems.
 
I was watching a recorded stream and I was getting very aggravated at how biased the commentator sounded. Unfortunately, I was the commentator and I know 100% I wasn't biased.

You do a great job. I've never detected a hint of "Bias" from your broadcast. Keep up the good work, we could use more commentators like you.
 
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