Thread by @Rnb129

My timeline is flooded with people pummeling Sanjay Manjrekar for his partisan commentary in the #IPL2019Final. While he could control the urge to keep dissing someone or the other to feel good, should commentators mandatorily be neutral? A few thoughts on that:
@adikulk

Why do we need commentary at all when we understand the game? As Richie Benaud put it, the viewer is not an idiot and can see what's going on. If what you want to say does not add to the viewer's experience, shut the hell up!
#IPL2019Final

Couldn't have captured it better. Most commentators these days think of themselves as a piece of the main dish rather than the condiments that enhance its flavour. TV commentary should always be supplement or add-on to what is going on, on the field
#IPL2019Final

And that is because of visual info available to the viewer. The viewer could clearly see one angle showing Dhoni just short of his crease and one making it look like there was ambiguity. In that scenario if you argue for only a "certain" angle to be taken, the joke's on you!

If you're going to suggest UltraEdge is not as important as hotspot coz you desperately want Raina out, again, the viewer can see through you. They know, that to declare a batsman out, any one conclusive evidence will suffice, your bias be damned! #IPL2019Final

I followed much of #IPL2019 on @sportsflashes Radio and @guerillacricket. It wasn't full fledged formal radio comms per se, but more the @TestMatchSofa variety of a Chat lounge. They were by no means neutral, but in fact, the absence of any pretense of neutrality spiced it up!

The 4 commentators (who served Hindi and English feeds on @sportsflashes) were supporters of DC, RCB, KKR and CSK. It made for fun banter both between them and through the fan feedback chats, and everyone had a good time. That's why picking sides isn't such a bad thing! #IPL2019

They may have picked their sides but not once did they lose their heads and talk like a fanatic. That happens only if you think the listener is an ass who knows nothing, and you can talk down to them in any manner and get away with anything #IPL2019

That is exactly why following @englandcricket tour of @windiescricket this year through @talkSPORT2 Radio was such a joy!

@mcjnicholas, @ajarrodkimber, @DGoughie, @MattPrior13 were unashamedly barracking for England, with @DarenGanga batting for WI. And who's to argue with that?

@talkSPORT2 is a British radio company with rights to broadcast England matches to a predominantly English audience. And that's who their target audience is! They owe no neutrality to a random listener from the south of India. And that should be the natural order of things!

But, barracking as they were for England, not for a second, did fairness or objectivity escape them. When Kemar Roach's brute pace blew England away for 77 in the first test, it was welcomed with admiration, awe and a hope that the glory days of WI pace bowling are back.

There was disappointment that England couldn't handle the heat, but the overriding sense was of "Our team has been well and truly blown away in this contest, let's just accept that, and sit back and applaud some truly wonderful fast bowling". No griping or nitpicking at all!

It went from bad to worse for England in the second Test, and the commentators still took it on the chin. They admitted that they didn't see it coming at all, and sounded genuinely happy for a West Indies team long-starved of good tidings.

When Joe Denly was out in the first innings, needlessly chasing a wide one after a 90-minute vigil against accurate pace, the anguish on air was the formal, eloquent version of our own layman curses, remote-flings, sofa-punches! Can't argue with that style 🤷‍♂️

And finally, when the England team found their mojo back in the third Test courtesy brute pace of their own led by Mark Wood, the joy and excitement was palpable. Across the three tests, they did a wonderful job of conveying the various emotions THEIR team and fans went through.

In the 1st and 4th ODIs, when @henrygayle was teeing off, the commentary sounded more like "where the hell does England bowl to this man?", or "Gayle is a superman yes, but how does England stop him?!"

That's the difference between an England BIAS and an England PERSPECTIVE.

Some of our commentators, more so the regional language services of @StarSportsIndia will do well to understand this. Sitting in one camp to report things from their eyes need not veer into wearing their shirts!

It would have actually been nice for Manjrekar and Gavaskar to turn up in the MI shirt, and as a former player, Hayden in the CSK yellow. Some banter going throughout the game would have spiced it up for the viewer too. But why take the viewer for a fool while at it?

@adikulk @NarenMenon1 @karikadaiboy

How is it in other sports like tennis or football? I find hockey commentators studiously neutral though they do convey the excitement of a contest well.

@threadreaderapp unroll

@JumbuTweeple @swamy64 @anexcommie what do you think?