Sports commentary is as much as part of the game as the play itself these days, but stand by sports fans, the arcane world of sport presenting has found itself a professional pathway.
Deakin University has built the Play by Play immersive sports commentary booth, using games technology, theatre, and film and television skills to create a place where budding commentators can learn and practice with a range of sports.
School of Communication and Creative Arts senior lecturer, and ‘Play by Play’ co-developer, Dr Simon Wilmot, said sport organisations in Australia faced unprecedented demand for live sport coverage.
This created a need for more professional sport commentators, and he said Deakin’s Play by Play was designed to give trainees the experience they needed in a safe learning environment.
“Aside from being a lot of fun, this technology is designed to fill a skills shortage that is fast becoming apparent in the sport broadcast sector,” Dr Wilmot said.
But this is a story best told with video. As they say on air: “Cosmos Assistant Editor Ian Mannix is up next…”