Prompt Post #6 - 2014 FIFA World Cup Coverage

      "(ESPN) ha(s) reminded us all once again why when it comes to conveying sports on television – the drama, the power, the emotion and passion – no one can touch them" (Clapp para. 1).  I was able to find a very cool and unique video that highlighted all of the exciting moments of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  Not only does it highlight these great moments, it shows what sports broadcasting means to the sport of soccer, as well as any sport.  Below is the link to the video.

2014 FIFA World Cup Recap

     This video shows that sports broadcasters bring another element to just watching a sporting event.  Some people watch sports just because they like the specific sport while others are fanatics about the team playing.  Either way, a sportscaster is able to draw you in emotionally with what he or she says.  Whether it be by his excited play by play of a spectacular play or the sorrow in his voice when a team is defeated, one can not help but be emotionally invested into the game.  The camera view is just as important to succeed in setting a mood.  Listening to the heartbreak in the announcers voice accompanied by a shot of a weeping player affects the viewer on an emotional level.  Just from watching this clip and not knowing some of the background history of some of the teams, I was emotionally invested in what was being portrayed.  

       For some people sports is life.  They wait all year for one event (four years in the case of the Olympics or World Cup) so having these sportscasters make an emotional connection with them is critical.  No one wants to watch the sporting event and hear dry, bland commentating that makes the game boring.  "It's essential for a sportscaster to be liked, believed, and trusted.  It's a matter of making emotional contact" (Decker 9).  I believe this video shows how critical it is for sportscasters to be apart of the viewing experience.  They draw the viewers in on a more direct and emotional level to make the game that much more exciting and fun to watch,

   


Clapp, Brian. "Why ESPN Still Stands Alone in Sports Broadcasting." Work In Sports. World Press, 15 July 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://www.workinsports.com/blog/why-espn-still-stands-alone-in-sports-broadcasting/#ooid=Jub212bjok4ka156rEoLUaopCPhyXOYf>.

Decker, Bert. You've Got to Be Believed to Be Heard: Reach the First Brain to Communicate in Business and in Life. N.p.: n.p., 1993. 9. Print.