A color commentator, also known as an analyst or summariser, is a sports expert who supports the main (play-by-play) commentator by providing expert analysis, background information, and occasional anecdotes during broadcasts. Often former athletes or coaches, they fill in when play is paused, sharing insights about statistics, strategy, injury reports, and details about teams and athletes. The term “color” reflects the levity and insight they add, complementing the primary commentator’s narration throughout the event.
United States and Canada
Commentary teams typically feature one professional commentator describing the passage of play, and another, usually a former player or coach, providing supplementary input as the game progresses. Color commentators usually restrict their input to times that the ball or the puck is out of play, or there is no significant action on the field or the court. They usually defer to the main commentator when a shot on goal or another significant event occurs. That sometimes results in them being talked over or cut short by the primary commentator. Former players and managers also appear as pundits and carry out a similar role to that of the co-commentator during the pre-game show before a given contest and the post-game show after it.
In American motorsports coverage, there may be as many as two color commentators in the booth for a given broadcast.8
In the 2010s, some sports broadcasters began to employ rules analysts, a contributor—typically a former referee—who provides analysis and opinions of calls made by referees officiating the game. The practice was first popularized in the NFL, with Fox hiring former officials Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino.91011 The practice has since been extended to other sports, with officials such as Steve Javie (basketball), Dave Jackson (hockey), and Joe Machnik (soccer) having taken on similar roles for ESPN/ABC and Fox respectively.121314 CBS similarly hired Gene Steratore in 2018; consistent with his background, he has been employed for both NFL and college basketball coverage.15
United Kingdom
The term "color commentator" is largely unknown outside American sports. In the United Kingdom, the equivalent role is usually called "summariser" but other terms used are "analyst", "pundit" or simply "co-commentator". Cricket coverage on ESPNcricinfo uses similar terminology.
Australia and New Zealand
The term is not used in Australia or New Zealand. Those giving the analysis alongside the main commentator are sometimes said to be giving additional or expert analysis, or "special comments", or they may be referred to as "expert commentators".
Latin America
For Association football broadcasts on Latin American sports television channels, such a commentator is called a comentarista in both Spanish and Portuguese and contrasts with the narrador, locutor (Spanish and Portuguese) or relator (Spanish - Argentina and Uruguay) who leads the transmission. The term "color" is not used or translated.
References
"Color commentator | Define Color commentator at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/color+commentator ↩
"What Is a Color Commentator?". work.chron.com. Houston Chronicle. November 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014. http://work.chron.com/color-commentator-20477.html ↩
"Announcers: Occupational Outlook Handbook — What Announcers Do". Bureau of Labor Statistics. January 8, 2014. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2014. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/announcers.htm#tab-2 ↩
Specifically meaning #7, "Richness of expression" ↩
"Color Commentary and Play by Play: A Well-Rounded Approach to Facebook". Inkling Media. May 2, 2012. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140116065651/http://inklingmedia.net/2012/05/02/color-commentary-and-play-by-play-a-well-rounded-approach-to-facebook/ ↩
"The Sportscaster: A Brief History & Job Description". Americansportscastersonline.com. January 7, 2014. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2014. http://www.americansportscastersonline.com/sportscasterdefinition.html ↩
John Lund (November 27, 2012). "The Top Three Keys For Becoming a Color Commentator". Sportsideo.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140116082329/http://www.sportsideo.com/blog/johnlund1120/the-business-ofsports/baseball_basketball_football/the-top-three-keys-for-becoming-a-color-commentator-1681.html ↩
Kedzie, Julie (July 18, 2013). "Julie Kedzie Breaks Down the Art of MMA Color Commentary". FIGHTLAND. Vice. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150405043744/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/julie-kedzie-breaks-down-the-art-of-mma-color-commentary ↩
Deitsch, Richard (January 11, 2012). "NFL's most indispensable broadcasting talents". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. https://www.si.com/nfl/2012/01/11/nfl-irreplacables ↩
McCarthy, Michael (September 6, 2016). "Fox NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira is lethal 'weapon' rival networks don't have". Sporting News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2018. http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/mike-pereira-fox-sports-book-after-further-review-nfl-rules-analyst/egtnr8wfhn5d1ao6yxjx7ij7c ↩
Caldwell, Dave (January 22, 2019). "Rise of the TV rules analysts shows the NFL has a problem". the Guardian. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/22/nfl-officiating-nfc-championship-game-rules-analysts ↩
Bucholtz, Andrew (June 3, 2022). "Fox Sports adds Joe Machnik as a soccer rules analyst". Awful Announcing. Retrieved January 18, 2023. https://awfulannouncing.com/soccer/fox-sports-mark-clattenburg-rules-analyst-uefa-nations-league.html ↩
King, Jay. "Ex-NBA referee Steve Javie weighs in on officiating: 'Welcome to the playoffs'". The Athletic. Retrieved January 18, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3309035/2022/05/13/nba-referee-steve-javie-postseason-officiating/ ↩
"TNT Adds Don Koharski As NHL Rules Analyst | Barrett Media". September 29, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2023. https://barrettsportsmedia.com/2021/09/29/tnt-don-koharski/ ↩
Alper, Josh (June 26, 2018). "CBS announces Gene Steratore as NFL, college basketball rules analyst". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com.com. Retrieved March 21, 2019. https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/06/26/cbs-announces-gene-steratore-as-nfl-college-basketball-rules-analyst/ ↩