We all know the "Curse of the Commentator" especially in football and cricket where they say something about the way things are going and within a minute or two the complete opposite happens. So if they say anything negative about a player or team that I am supporting I often think "Great! We'll be OK now". I expect that it would be considered unethical to pay supposedly neutral commentators to make disparaging remarks about your favourite, but not illegal surely.
I remember as a young lad watching the car racing at Lydden Hill on a filthy muddy day when the commentator explained that the reason the lead car had holes in his windscreen was to improve his vision of the undulating track,,,, 5 seconds before the car hit a nasty bump and ended on its roof.
There is the Colemaballs page and a good horseracing one in the Belfast Guardian page. Well worth a look for a laugh.
And then there was Ron Pickering commetating on a 400m race - "Juantorena opens his legs and reall shows his class".
Commentators
posted on 30/6/21
Didn't Keegan say something about only England winning just before Romania scored in the Euro 2000 tourney?
Then you have the famous Cricket 'the bowlers Holding the batsman's Willey' line.
posted on 3/7/21
Brian Johnston's commentary was classic. Especially the one with Agnew when the batsman was out "hit wicket" because he "couldn't quite get his leg over". To hear one of the greatest sporting commentators dissolve into an hysterical fit of laughter was classic. The way that Agnew just let it develop made it funnier.
I was in tears of laughter myself so it is my funniest sporting memory.
posted on 3/7/21
Yesteryear commentators were classic like Greg, benaud, bill lawry etc.
posted on 3/7/21
Arlott and Allis were silky voices you could listen to all day.
posted on 13/7/21
The tv cameras zoomed in on the Westham luxury box and the commentator goes "there's Karen Brady. She doesn't look like she's getting wet sitting there next to David Sullivan"