Few in the play-by-play field call games as seamlessly as Jason Benetti appears to. However, like any job, there are ways to make it easier. On the The Solid Verbal podcast, the Fox college football and MLB announcer discussed potential changes that could reduce the challenges of calling games. His first suggestion was to display player names on-screen, similar to the Madden video game. His second, more controversial suggestion for those in the industry, revolved around the production of games from studios.
“A lot of games now are produced from studios, whether it be in Bristol, Charlotte, or Los Angeles. While the Fox college football crew benefits from this situation, what many don’t realize is that these studio-produced games often feature a monitor delay of two to five seconds,” Benetti shared as he examined the effects on announcers. “This delay forces announcers to rely solely on the field or court since the monitors, which show what the audience sees, become a hindrance.”
Benetti elaborated that this significant delay means that at crucial moments, such as a catch in a corner during a college basketball game at Madison Square Garden, they lack adequate visual access. “The fans have a better view than we do live, which is quite astonishing. Yet, the industry’s shift toward studio productions has not addressed or funded the necessary technology to ensure our monitors are live.”
Benetti cleverly used pop culture to illustrate his frustration: “Think of the scenes in Breaking Bad where Walt reacts to Gus. If that were on a two-second delay, you wouldn’t capture the same genuine reaction. It drives me absolutely nuts that our industry operates this way because we’re grappling for the entertainment dollar and time against Hollywood. Yet, we lack live responses to plays that are challenging to see, even in college football and basketball.”
Benetti’s frustration highlights a technical side of broadcasting that most viewers might overlook. Unfortunately, as he pointed out, this trend seems to be rising as networks continue to cut costs. Unless networks invest in on-site productions or the technology to eliminate these delays, this unfortunate reality of broadcasting will likely persist. In the meantime, let’s revisit those Madden-style name displays, which seem entirely plausible in this AI-driven age.
