# Muting the announcers during sporting events **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064 "2024-11-11T03:52:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/21 "2024-11-11T22:35:41Z")
> [@Dereknocue67](#): > > I record football games, and my DVR has a 30-second advance mode, which I use each time a play ends. This allows me to jump from play to play, speeding up the game and avoid color commentary between plays, as well as commercials, time-outs, or other delays and it takes about an hour to watch an entire game. Occasionally, there are hurry-up plays but I can rewind if the play is of interest. Same here, I’ve been doing this for years. You could say I’m watching the sporadic violence while skipping the committee meetings. ---
**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/22 "2024-11-12T01:05:56Z")
Don’t know if you kids knew this or not, but there was an “ **Announcerless Game** ” between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins on December 20, 1980. Look for " **Announcerless game**" in Wikipedia to get the details. And look for the blurry video of the game on Youtube. Only public address comments and crowd noise. No yakking announcers or stupid visitors to the booth. "Executive Producer Don Ohlmeyer and the NBC broadcast crew prepared to compensate for the lack of announcers in several ways. NBC promoted the game by telling viewers they would, in lieu of announcers, have the experience of actually being in the stadium, so the network placed more microphones, and more sensitive microphones, around the field than it otherwise would have. " ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/23 "2024-11-12T01:19:00Z")
> [@Marine\_One](#): > > Don’t know if you kids knew this or not, but there was an “ **Announcerless Game** ” between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins on December 20, 1980. My friend and I watched it (we were 15). We enjoyed it, but I’m not surprised that it didn’t go over well. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/24 "2024-11-12T03:27:01Z")
I think that will work. Optical from TV to the device, only output left and right to my Edifier speakers, which I already have beside the TV ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/25 "2024-11-12T03:45:20Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Ah for the days when there was only one announcer. When we lived in Milwaukee in the early 90s Bob Uecker did the Brewers broadcasts alone. Lots of quiet time, unless the game was really boring and Bob would go into an anecdote (which of course were well worth the listen). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/26 "2024-11-12T14:33:15Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > This past Sunday was giving me headaches - these announcers never shut the f!ck up This was me during the 2016 World Series. At one point I swore to the FSM that if Joe Buck mentioned billy goats or Bartman Balls one more time, I was going to throw the TV out the window. ---
**Author:** ![sb1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@sb1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sb1953)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/27 "2024-11-12T15:04:27Z")
In my house my wife is the big NFL fan. If she is watching a game where Ton Brady is in the booth she Mutes the entire game Same for Romo. She actually enjoys listening to Chris Collinsworth and Al micheals. I like them if I am watching. I do not mind Joe buck nor Troy AIKEN. they seem to be able to allow the game to “BREATHE” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/28 "2024-11-12T15:06:14Z")
Is there an equalizer capable of making Romo’s voice tolerable? That hoarse cacophony is unpleasant to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/29 "2024-11-12T16:38:40Z")
Al F\*\*\*ing Michaels??!? WTF is wrong with you?( Rhetorically speaking; this is FQ albeit late in the thread) That guy has never made a mistake in his life. His every utterance is perfect wisdom. Just ask him. His smug self-assurance is IMO really annoying. He certainly was/is knowledgeable about football but when his delivery became oracular he lost me for good. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/30 "2024-11-12T18:20:15Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > > [@snowthx](#): > > > > This past Sunday was giving me headaches - these announcers never shut the f!ck up > > This was me during the 2016 World Series. At one point I swore to the FSM that if Joe Buck mentioned billy goats or Bartman Balls one more time, I was going to throw the TV out the window. I grew up listening to Jack Buck call Cardinals baseball games. Joe Buck wishes he was half the announcer his old man was. (Oops sorry, forgot this was in FQ.) ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/31 "2024-11-12T23:17:49Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > The A’s were broadcast at 990 KHz and the Phillies at 950 and by tuning to 970 I could both games at the same time. That is really cool. Even if both teams sucked. We used to turn off the TV audio for Celtics games so we could listen to Johnny Most on the radio. I don’t remember any time lag. “All right, here comes Bird, double teamed by McFilthy and McNasty…” ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/32 "2024-11-12T23:44:04Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > I don’t remember any time lag. Time lag is an artifact of digital transmission. Compression and encoding time for broadcast HDTV, add on networking delays for streaming; similarly compression and framing time for HD radio, even if you listen to “analog” radio the audio is delayed to match the compression and framing time for the digital so that digital-to-analog failover is seamless. Old time fully analog broadcasts had very little delay in the signal path. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/33 "2024-11-13T01:20:35Z")
The Phillies won the pennant in 1950. The A’s sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/34 "2024-11-13T01:37:27Z")
I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/35 "2024-11-18T03:16:09Z")
Not working. TV will not recognize the Ediifier speakers as soundbar. It’s not a soundbar, just 2 speakers, but I would think and audio signal is an audio signal. Or maybe it’s not recognizing the digital decoder, which doesn’t make much sense either, it is an optical output. Maybe it is the FireTV software. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/36 "2024-11-18T03:50:24Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Time lag is an artifact of digital transmission. Compression and encoding time for broadcast HDTV, add on networking delays for streaming; similarly compression and framing time for HD radio, even if you listen to “analog” radio the audio is delayed to match the compression and framing time for the digital so that digital-to-analog failover is seamless. Old time fully analog broadcasts had very little delay in the signal path. As a youth I read a _Believe It Or Not_ type of book with this “amazing” fact: “If you listen to a baseball game on the radio, you’ll hear the sound of the crack of the bat before many in the stadium will.” It went on to explain that since the speed of sound is slower than the speed of light/radio, the time it takes for sound to hit a microphone by the home plate then go over wires and over the air is faster than someone would hear in the stands in the outfield. Digital certainly changes that. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2024, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/37 "2024-11-20T03:45:31Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > Not working. TV will not recognize the Ediifier speakers as soundbar. It’s not a soundbar, just 2 speakers, but I would think and audio signal is an audio signal. Or maybe it’s not recognizing the digital decoder, which doesn’t make much sense either, it is an optical output. Maybe it is the FireTV software. The device actually does work, the optical cable was not fully plugged in on my TV. Unfortunately most sporting events are not in 5.1. I just checked about a dozen, which tonight means hockey and college basketball, and only one is in 5.1. But last weeks recording of Thursday Night Football is, and I think most NFL games on Sunday are. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2024, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/38 "2024-11-20T10:14:53Z")
One trick that is quite old, but depends upon at least a stereo audio signal is to sum the two channels out of phase. This kills centred audio information (ie in phase and equal amplitude) and leaves the information panned to either side mostly intact. A bit of filtering directed at the centre of the offending voices may improve it further. 5.1 audio may often be little more than a slightly more sophisticated version of this that tries to direct more common audio to the centre and creates a fake surround with some trivial filtering and delay. There used to be simple boxes sold as vocal track eliminators. Often directed at amateur musicians to allow them to create play along or sing along tracks from popular songs. I had a quick search around and all the hits were for software solutions. Which probably do a better job. But not a trivial solution versus an old school box of analog bits. There are simple boxes that can extract audio from HDMI and provide an analog output. They tend to be either stereo or 5.1 only. But likely exactly what is needed as a first step to feed an analog solution. A digital solution usually runs into HDCP questions with many systems resolutely refusing to let you see the digital audio in the clear. For the OP’s purposes reconverting from analog would not affect quality. Latency would likely be imperceptible. But a lot of faffing about. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/39 "2024-12-30T06:44:00Z")
I have given up on doing this for this year. So many broadcasts are not in 5.1 I’ve read that this is because of Hulu, even if the NFL is sending 5.1 but who knows? So tonight I am watching Commanders/Falcons and have to listen to Tirico and Collinsworth, don’t have anything against them personally but they guarantee non-stop shouted conversation filling every second between plays Tonight I heard a call from Tirico that is a classic, in a “bad movie that is good” kinda way. Maybe just as a straight call. It is a one score game, Falcons trailing and driving, to about the Commanders 10, a little over 2 minutes to go. They go to a wildcat formation, the center snaps the ball way over the runner’s head and they have a 20 yard loss. Tico’s call , on the replay: THEY WENT TO A WILCARD FORMATION AND THEY…SCREWED IT UP! I’m still laughing. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064/40 "2024-12-30T15:11:14Z")
> [@Dereknocue67](#): > > I record football games, and my DVR has a 30-second advance mode, which I use each time a play ends. This allows me to jump from play to play, speeding up the game and avoid color commentary between plays, as well as commercials, time-outs, or other delays and it takes about an hour to watch an entire game. Occasionally, there are hurry-up plays but I can rewind if the play is of interest. > > This allows me to watch each play and also avoid much of the announcer’s commentary and I cannot imagine watching a live football broadcast ever again. Nope, no way, I can’t do this. I have very little interest in watching anything but maybe a couple of highlight plays if I already know the outcome. I can watch a football game live but I would never waste an hour of time if I already know that \_\_\_ team won I must also add that John Madden was the inventor of this; that a-hole _never_ shut up & gave us such wonderful color commentary like, “the defense’s job is to stop the offense” Really, John? Thanks for that _wonderful_ insight…& that was before he started doodling all over your screen like a 4 year old. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muting-the-announcers-during-sporting-events/1010064.md?page=3)