Sports Commentators (Sportscasters) describe the events of a sporting game or event. They may broadcast the event on radio, giving enough of a description for the listener to understand what is going on. Sports Commentators also work in television, giving a commentary as a companion to a game. In periods of little action, a commentator may talk about current events in the sport or different aspects of the sport's history.
In today’s time, there are many career scopes for them in Sports fields along with many other areas. They must have knowledge of different languages depending from country to country along with good knowledge of the English language.
Sports Commentator Eligibility
Educational Qualification
The minimum educational qualification for becoming eligible to Sports Commentator courses is 10th or 12th class with journalism subjects.
Sports Commentator Required Skills
- Sports Commentators should have speaking, writing, listening and interpersonal skills, research abilities and media production skills.
- They should possess good knowledge of media production, communication and dissemination techniques and methods.
- They should also be good in telecommunications such as knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control and operation of telecommunications systems.
- They must possess quick thinking skills as during commentary they have a sudden turn in momentum from one team to the other, an injury to a player, sudden weather changes. The ability to think quickly and stay calm and professional when the unexpected or even traumatic happens is a valuable skill for sportscasters.
How to become a Sports Commentator?
One has to follow the steps given below for becoming a Sports Commentator.
Step 1
To become a Sports Commentator, one needs to have an excellent speaking manner and the ability to think on your feet as well. They need a great knowledge of sports, as well as some skills in journalism.
Step 2
Sports Commentator should have a good educational background; should complete a four-year Bachelors’ degree in Journalism, Broadcast Journalism, or Communications. Some of the courses are given below. For Diploma/ Degree courses, students should be 10th or 12th class pass with journalism or communication as one of the subjects. Degree/Diploma courses are:
- B.A. (English with Journalism)
- Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
- B.A. (Journalism and Mass Communication)
Step 3
Students willing for having post graduation courses can go for them. There are many institutes offering courses in journalism and communication. Some of Masters’ Degree courses are given below of which candidates can take up. For Master Degree courses, they must have been passed their graduation in the concerned subjects like journalism and communication with at least 50% marks. Postgraduate Courses are:
- M.A. (Broadcast Communication)
- M.A. (Advertising and Communication Management)
- M.A. (Broadcast Journalism)
Institutes offering Courses for Sports Commentator
- Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Management and Technology, Faridabad
- MIT Jansanwad College, Latur
- MIT International School of Broadcasting and Journalism, Pune
- Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.
Sports Commentator Job Description
Some of the Sports Commentators perform other roles in the broadcast media industry. They may write a column, or work as a broadcast reporter. Some are employed in the sporting industry and work as a commentator on the side. Some of them are often employed by sports facilities, such as arenas or race clubs. They are also known as Announcers.
Sports Commentator Career Prospects
- Sports Commentators have jobs option in radio stations can be considered as the entry point to a career as a commentator. Later they can move on to TV or other private channels/ media.
- They are also employed by newspapers, radios or by TV stations to comment on the match.
- They also have jobs on sports channel such as Star Sports, ESPN Ten Sports, Zee Sports and DD Sports employ sports commentators.
- They are also employed by sports organizations and networks to cover live action i.e play-by-play of sporting events.
- Commentators can write commentaries or columns for newspapers, magazines, or other publications. In majority cases, former sportsmen after retirement take up commentating as a profession.
Sports Commentator Salary
The pay scale for Sports Commentators varies greatly, mainly depending on the place of employment and their own quality and presentation. In an average, Commentators earn anywhere between Rs.5000 to Rs.10,000 a day. But well-known ones command a better sum from Rs.25,000 onwards for a day. Their annual income depends on the number of days in a year you get work for.
