The Voice: Meet the Announcer

 

The announcer does the play-by-play, providing details about each play and also throwing minimal analysis on how those plays are affecting the game. It's basically public address announcing. It is not to provide serious breakdown of play. I try to only say exactly what happened. At a football game, I'll say, for example, Hasant Moses-Hillman ‘18 just carried the ball for 20 yards; it's just the facts. I work hard not to root for either team so keeping to the facts works well. My main approach is to help everybody know what's happening on the field or basketball court. Some people in the stands don't understand the game. When the referee gives a signal, it's my job to know what it means and translate to the crowd what the penalty or occurrence is.   

 

I will point out that the job is not free of emotion. When we score a touchdown or a big basket, I put a little more energy into it. Another responsibility of my job is to assist in keeping the crowd under control. Sometimes I'll say subtle things to provide a suggestion. In other cases, I have to announce for precautionary purposes as in “please back up or stay away from the railing” or things like that. And there are the times when the crowd is getting on the referee and starting to be unsportsmanlike and disrespectful. I have had to remind them to show restraint. Sometimes just playing the right song can help. There's a song called “Simmer Down,” and I just play that song and without saying anything the crowd starts to calm down. 

 

 

I go through the rosters to try to know each player. Parents and grandparents enjoy when they hear their student’s name. And players like to be recognized as well. I work to get to know our Bishop's kids, their names and maybe a little about how they tick. Sometimes I won't know a student’s name because I've never met them. So I ask someone how to pronounce his or her name. There have been times when I have gotten it wrong. I still remember one of my big bloopers. I was announcing a Bishop’s baseball game at Petco Park. Before the game started, I looked over the roster and said "Negulescu" repeatedly and then when P.J. Negulescu ‘15 came up to bat, I totally butchered it.

 

One of the most important things a public address announcer can do is pronounce a player’s name correctly. At the end of the day, we all want our names pronounced right. When Micah Seau ‘11 was at Bishop’s, I remember listening to the public address at Qualcomm “Chargers” Stadium during CIF playoffs. Seau, of course, is a name every person who goes to that stadium should know how to pronounce. Micah made a tackle in the game and the announcer got his name wrong. All I could I say at the time was “OH MY GOODNESS!” This is an announcer’s worse nightmare.

 

 

That was very different from announcing. I did that gig for a music video show. It was interesting. In some sense, I was playing the part of a clown. I was cast as a comedic sidekick, and I was being goofed on. But that was okay because I can take a joke, and I can give one right back.

 

There was a comedian who was popular in the 1980s named Yakov Smirnoff. He came to the U.S. from Russia and always made very clever fun of himself. He used a form of innocent self-deprecation that I copied. His style allowed me to be doing that show, taking the jokes with respect for myself and with a humility that earned respect from the audience. It was a difficult balance. Sometimes I was the butt of a joke, but I took it in stride and in doing so, with grace, gained that respect. I met a lot of great people doing the show and learned a lot about Korean culture. One of the ways you know you have come to know a language and culture is when you understand the sense of humor. By being involved with the show I got that chance. Without doing so I would have had just been another foreigner doing a regular job. 

 

Yes, there are a few. I think it was pretty vivid when we won the state football championship (in 2010). That was a lot of fun. There are games I remember and certain big plays, all too much to mention here.  One thing I enjoy is when some of the kids who graduated years ago come back to watch a game. Every time I see players, I recall when they played and different memories of their careers come back. But, the CIF State Championship kind of overrides all the other experiences. I also remember too, that in the past, we used to pack the gym for basketball. There was a game against Francis Parker when our manager of game operations, Coach Al Gomez and four or five security guards had to help contain The Dungeon. It's always fun to get a packed house.