Ranking the Track & Field Announcers From Worst To Best

2) Craig Masback – Again, how could anyone make a 1500 Olympic Trials final sound so incredibly boring. It was like he was describing the water based paint drying process. He may have been even more boring Rawson. I only rank Rawson lower because Masback at least didn’t try to explain basic rules. That fact that Masback was knowledgeable and prepared, was of no consequence, being completely overwhelmed by horrible delivery. If you looked up the word dullard in the dictionary, his face would be next to it.

He was so bad, I actually cheered when he became head of USAT&F because that was the only way to get him out of the announcing booth!

I can’t emphasize enough how Masback and Rawson, whom we were saddled with both going all the way back to the early ‘80s, and combined with totally unlikeable stars such as Lewis, Johnson, Greene and Warner, plummeted our sport into the ratings doldrums. It wasn’t until Bolt’s meteoric rise that we stopped declining in popularity, but we remain still in the doldrums.

3) Michele Tafoya – She was horrendous as a post race interviewer. Come on NBC, couldn’t you find someone who had at least a slight clue about our sport or a slight interest in learning anything about our sport?

4) Carol Lewis – Terrible announcer who was unprepared and had poor delivery.

5) Jill Montgomery – I liked her enthusiasm and as a former athlete had knowledge and she was always well prepared and upbeat, in contrast to the dullards Masback and Rawson. The problem was she thought she knew everything and incessantly delved into specialties that she knew nothing about. Never was there an announcer so sure of herself, yet so often wrong or at least partially wrong with almost everything she said, and her biggest problem was she never stopped talking.

6) Alsia Montana – Just because she ran pregnant at the Olympic Trials, that is enough to be rewarded with an announcing gig? Is our sport that inconsequential in the eyes of the public and that much of a money losing property in the eyes of the sports media world? I guess that was a rhetorical question.

7) Kara Goucher – We hardcore fans know her as the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde crazed, ungrateful and highly unstable attention grubber that she is. No one was more desperate for attention in the track & field world other than “please go away for good this time” Lolo Jones.

No one was more ridiculous with her inference that she just happened to be the only Salazar athlete running incredible times that was clean. No one was more ungrateful than her after Salazer resurrected the completely dead, aged careers of both her and her husband, only to throw him under the bus, and then continue to kick the dead dog lying in the street in the wake of the Cain accusations.

Then to our shock, she suddenly appears out of nowhere and in the broadcast booth and comes across as Mr. Jekyll – a completely sane, completely grounded, polite, well versed commentator with descent delivery. However, she too appears to fall into the trap of a relatively dull level of excitement.

Of course, those of us who followed her the past decade have to wonder how long before Mr. Hyde resurfaces and she flies off the handle, has an emotional outburst, accuses the network of discrimination, her coworkers of harassment, claims a big conspiracy is underway, etc. Those people have no idea what they got themselves into and the powder keg in their midst.

8) Tom Hammond – I will shock you buy saying he was mediocre and not as bad as everyone else says about him. Yes he didn’t really know the sport well, but he also didn’t pretend to know it either. He made mistakes, but he didn’t make a ton of mistakes calling races either. He did bring a genuine excitement and enthusiasm to the race calls which is the bare minimum, which Rawson and Masback massively failed to deliver. Yeah he wasn’t great, but wasn’t as bad as credited.

9) Chris Collingsworth and Lewis Johnson – Collingsworth was exciting and a former track athlete and gave good interviews. Johnson is a great guy, very well prepared and asks the right questions. What is the problem with these guys? Well, this may sound odd, but in a sport that is desperately trying to get some attention, from many to choose from, do you have to have on field guys like Collingsworth at 6’6” and Johnson at 6’7 making our stars such 6’ Noah Lyles look like a tiny midget? Maybe I am wrong but it in a sport desperate for ratings everything about the presentation matters. Maybe have them off camera like they did this weekend with John Anderson.

10 & 11) Frank Shorter and Marty Liquori – These former legends were decent announcers. Both were highly knowledgeable and insightful and Liquori had an incredibly exciting delivery. Liquori treated last lap battles like the final deciding play in the NFL Superbowl, as he should. Both had the same downside, they came to the meets unprepared. They didn’t do their homework and keep up with who was who.

12) Josh Cox -A solid announcer. Great insight, well prepared, knows his stuff, good delivery. Could be a little more exciting, but definitely adequate.

13) Sanya Richards-Ross – She is a good announcer. She is well prepared and in tune with the sport, insightful and has a good delivery.

14) John Anderson – The best post race interviewer. He gets to the point, makes it fun and interesting and funny, knows his stuff as a former T&F athlete and brings a smile to everyone’s face.

15) Paul Swangard – A solid announcer. He knows his stuff, good delivery, strong enough enthusiasm and much better than most. The fact that he is almost never mentioned on the message boards is probably a good thing and means he is doing his job well.

16) Dan O’Brien – The legendary athlete is also one of the best announcers, as he has a wealth of knowledge and experience and delivers it in just the right doses and at the right time.

17) Dwight Stones – Now one of the best ever. Early in his career might have been a little too arrogant and pissed off some people, but he outgrew that long ago and also has really worked to improve his craft and get better over time. He is a technical expert, very insightful, keeps it exciting and can also do very well with the running events.

18) Ato Boldon – Simply outstanding. He is tremendous in all aspects - great delivery, great excitement, great knowledge, and does his homework well and is up to minute with all developments and in tune with all the key players.

19) Tim Hutchings – He is the best of the best. Yes, some people are anti-anglophiles and don’t like British accents, so you are going to get a vocal 10% minority that will trash him, but they are being silly, especially in a world dominated by insufferables such Rawson and Masback.

He is an expert, quickly and accurately assesses the action and delivers the key insight, right at the key moment, without saying too much or too little. Almost never makes a mistake, is totally and thoroughly prepared. Most importantly, gives an exciting race, the excitement it deserves. There is nothing worse than when Hutching calls the trials at the major championships, only to be replaced in a horrible letdown with Masback calling the final and putting you to sleep.

Way too much time on your hands

David Coleman, the GOAT announcer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yccTm0WVtCA

I think Ato Boldon is great. I like Dan O’Brien too - he is not perfect, but comes prepared and has a strong delivery that makes it feel like an event.

Yes Coleman is fantastic, but I decided not to rate him because he so rarely is part of a network or cable broadcast in America.

I like the UK chick with the Japanese name.

That Brit dude and his partner Jenny Meadow are the best. They have a lot of knowledge. Anyone know the guys name I haven’t been able to find him. They announced Doha,

https://www.google.com/search?q=jenny+meadows&client=safari&channel=iphone_bm&prmd=niv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZleWb5JfxAhUvFjQIHb4-DPsQ_AUoAnoECAMQAg&biw=428&bih=746&dpr=3#imgrc=E5XebZJx6y21pM

Hutchings must be a lot better on US TV than for Eurosport or WA.

I would separate out "announcers" from "interviewers". Different skill set.

My issue with Masback was not getting any sort of emotional range. His announcing made me think of Ferris Bueller's econ teacher.

Boldon is great for sprints, but he should never be allowed to speak during a distance race again after this year’s PAC12 broadcast.

A few of the races are on YouTube. His Men’s 1500m commentary is particularly awful. Most of the distance races he sounds like he’s out of ideas and just trying to fill the void.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AXJD2RFUM2o

I was watching the swimming trials last night with Mike Torico and Rowdy Gaines. It was shocking how much more interesting and enthusiastic they were compared to Dwight Stones and Jill Montgomery. NBC has gotten better with their coverage now that Tom Hammond is gone.

Williewagoner wrote:

Yes Coleman is fantastic, but I decided not to rate him because he so rarely is part of a network or cable broadcast in America.

That would certainly be a huge surprise, since he has been dead for eight years!

That’s Mara Yamauchi, the lady with a Japanese husband.

Hutchins has a great voice but not a clue about what’s happening as he doesn’t follow the sport except middle to long distance USA athletes, Ajee Wilson and three Norwegians. He also comes up with cringeworthy possibly political comments now and then. The twitter athleticos appear to call him uncle Tim. I assume this is due to his ”commentary” when certain runners compete in middle distance races. It is not an endearing term in this instance.

The Brit with J Meadows is Kris Temple..he’s good but not a dedicated athletics only commentator

Somebody needs to bring Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski up to speed on Track & Field, and turn them loose in the broadcast booth. Ratings galore!

Movie critic wrote:

I was watching the swimming trials last night with Mike Torico and Rowdy Gaines. It was shocking how much more interesting and enthusiastic they were compared to Dwight Stones and Jill Montgomery. NBC has gotten better with their coverage now that Tom Hammond is gone.

Swimming is much easier to call, because all swimmers stay in the same lane, and there is no stagger. Anyone could tell who is ahead of whom.

Mike Tirico was doing play-by-play because Dan Hicks was covering the French Open. (No, he was not in Paris, but in a studio in CT.) He spoke much less than Hicks would normally do, and let Gaines do most of the talk. And I thought, "this is a real pro who know when not to speak."

Gaines is usually good. But he declared Margalis had it in the bag before she faded badly in the last 10m of 400IM.