   |
Soccer commentators try to
meet rising expectations of audiences
Sammy Lee (left) working with new commentator Ho Pak Lam on a German Soccer League match. (Courtesy of Sammy Lee)
By Gladys Leung
Audiences
are expecting soccer commentators to satisfy new de-mands as broadcast
technology improves.
In the past, all football matches were broadcast on the radio.
Because audiences were unable to see the action, the soccer commentator
had to describe it to them.
Audiences could not check the accuracy of the descriptions of the game
and would not be aware if a commentator made a mistake.
Today, however, audiences are able to watch soccer matches on television.
They therefore can easily spot any errors in the commentary.
Sammy Lee Wing Kei, a soccer commentator at Hong Kong Cable Television,
said, “In recent years, audiences have been able to get information
about teams on the Internet, making them more familiar with the match
than they were a few years ago.”
In his 20s, Sammy has been a part-time soccer commentator and a teacher
for 5 years.
“Audiences now expect soccer commentators to tell them more about the
teams. That’s why we have to do more preparations beforehand,” said
Sammy.
Sammy entered the profession after he emerged second runner-up in a
soccer commentator competition organised by his company.
The competition was divided into two parts. The first part was a written
test on football knowledge.
The second part was a role-play in which participants had to act as
a commentator so that judges could assess their oral skills.
Successful participants were then chosen to receive formal job training
for 2 months.
Sammy became one of the 11 trainees when he was still a student at The
Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1996.
After the training, four people were chosen as commentators, for a probation
period of 6 months.
The company then singled out two people and employed them as soccer
commentators.
In 2003, about 600 people joined the competition. The proportion of
female applicants to male was 1:20.
However, the company did not recruit any female soccer commentators.
Sammy said his job is not easy.
When he was a new commentator, audiences complained about his commentary
skills and his hoarse voice.
Before matches begin, soccer commentators gather information about the
soccer teams. This includes team rosters and the players’ and teams’
past results.
Said he: “The job has many challenges. We have to watch the match and
talk about it at the same time. We need to be more observant.
“Also, we have to watch the match from a small television set which
is only 20 inches wide. It is very difficult for us to identify the
football players precisely.
“When there is a disturbance of live shows, we need to improvise and
remain composed.”
Sammy described an unforgettable experience.
“One time, when I needed to do commenting on a taped football match
of two not-so-famous foreign teams, the member lists given by the foreign
television station was wrong. We discovered the mistake only when we
had finished half of the recording.
“Of course, I had to correct the team member lists immediately. Unfortunately,
the teams were so unknown that I had to guess some of the soccer players’
names.
“What should have been a 2-hour program took me 4 hours to record. This
was really a tough task that I met,” Sammy said.
Though he faces many difficulties and pressure, Sammy enjoys his work
as a soccer commentator.
“I like this job because it is very challenging. Also, it relates to
my hobby,” he said.
Sammy believes that the football industry has great potential.
“Now soccer gambling is legalized and the television stations broadcast
more foreign soccer matches.
“So, there is greater demand for soccer commentators, making our salaries
more stable.”
Although he works only part-time and declines to reveal his salary as
a commentator, Sammy is optimistic about making a decent living in this
profession in the future.