Ken Harrelson … proud “Homer”
"Broadcasting has changed so much in the last 20 years, it’s unbelievable. When I came in in ’75, you could say anything you wanted to say."
–White Sox announcer Ken “Hawk” Harrelson (Arizona Republic)
"I’ve been associated with the ‘homer’ tag for so long that I love it. I mean, I wouldn’t have it any other way. D.J. [partner Darrin Jackson] and I both want this ball club to win every day they go out on the field and we pull for them. And I think that’s one reason that we’ve had such good acceptance over the years. Because fans want their announcers to root for their team."
–Harrelson
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I for one DON’T want MY announcers to root for MY team. I want them to REPORT the game, even if they ARE employed by the club.
Sigh …
dianagram
Just because an announcer is rooting for a team does not mean he isn’t reporting the game correctly. I love the fact that when I come home to watch a game, the play-by-play has some emotion to it. Nothing like an announcer going nuts when the home teams comes back to win one in the nineth or a fan favorite bench player comes up huge in a pnch hit. Why wouldn’t anyone want their announcer to root for the home team? You are probably one of those sorry people who don’t root for the home team. C’mon man, it’s even in the song! ‘Root, root, root for the hooooommmee team!’
You CAN have passion in your announcing of the game (we all remember Jack Buck’s call of Gibson’s HR in the World Series don’t we) WITHOUT being a “homer”.
(granted, that was a nationwide broadcast, and Buck wasn’t employed by the Dodgers)
I have no problem with a home team announcer saying after the fact that it was a great comeback … I just don’t like them saying ” ‘we’ need a hit here” BEFORE the event.
Also, I have no problem with the notion that in describing the team’s play over the season(s), the announcer may develop a mild affection for the team and its players, and that that affection MAY creep into the broadcast.
I guess I’m of the school that thinks that broadcasters should be impartial/non-partisan reporters of the game.
Steve Stone, employed as a radio announcer by the Cubs, LOST his job with the Cubs because he was (rightfully) critical of the team’s play.
(shrug)