In defense of college football announcers

Repeat after me: “The announcers are not biased against my team.”

Marianne O’Leary, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Every year, there are two or three people on my Facebook feed whom I am tempted to unfollow — not unfriend, just unfollow for a few months — because of their constant game-day whining about how the announcers are biased against their team.

The whining takes place no matter on which channel the game airs or which broadcast team is assigned to it. Apparently, there’s a global conspiracy of TV sportscasters against their particular team.

I am often watching the very same game about which they’re complaining, and see no signs of bias.

Here are some things to remember:

1. The goal of any live broadcaster — whether a sports announcer, a late night TV host, or a radio personality — is to keep people tuned in. I’m sorry to have to inform you of this, but broadcasting, cable, and streaming are all for-profit businesses (the horror!), and sports telecasts are, for the most part, advertiser-supported. In order for the network, channel or streaming service to make maximum profit, people have to keep watching as long as possible.
2. Towards this end — and also because it’s human nature — sportscasters often pick up on stories, angles they can talk about or…