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Do you remember the only NFL game without TV announcers?


LB48

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The announcer less game was an American football contest played on December 20, 1980, between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. As an experiment, the NBC television network broadcast it without assigning any commentators to cover it.

 

The Jets won 24-17 in an upset over the Dolphins!  I don't like many of the NFL announcers today with scripted comments and analysis BUT this game was ultra boring!!

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1 hour ago, LB48 said:

The announcer less game was an American football contest played on December 20, 1980, between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. As an experiment, the NBC television network broadcast it without assigning any commentators to cover it.

 

The Jets won 24-17 in an upset over the Dolphins!  I don't like many of the NFL announcers today with scripted comments and analysis BUT this game was ultra boring!!

 

 

Bob costas did cut in periodically on dome info.  Generally the game had no broadcasters

 

thus was one of the special broadcast late season Saturday games iirc

 

i fo remrmber watching it. They still had down and fistsnce graphics.

 

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That happened when I was still in diapers and a bassinet, so I don’t have the lived experience at least as far as football is concerned. But some years ago on the ESPN3/BBC feed of Wimbledon 🎾, there were a number of matches where the commentators spoke only a couple of times a game and it was awesome to be able to feel like you were just a guy sitting in the stands. Some graphics came up which provided info and the umpire would announce the Hawkeye challenges and such. It was nice to just have the sounds of the court in full breath and not have to listen to someone trying to get in your head and chat you up and explain their worldview. But tennis is different; shorter time between play. 
 

Maybe not advocating a full removal of an announcer, but definitely paring down how much they talk might be refreshing. With the coming ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard I’m hoping that comes with more audio options.

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1 hour ago, LB48 said:

The announcer less game was an American football contest played on December 20, 1980, between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. As an experiment, the NBC television network broadcast it without assigning any commentators to cover it.

 

The Jets won 24-17 in an upset over the Dolphins!  I don't like many of the NFL announcers today with scripted comments and analysis BUT this game was ultra boring!!

I think if they ever went with no broadcasters that people (lord knows how much we love to B word about evertything) would complain about how boring it was.  I remember this game, and remember thinking it was terrible at the time. As bad as some announcers may (or may not be), you always have the option of turning the volume down.  If you watch this way, you really do miss a lot of the game.  

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I remember the PA announcer was cranked up so some of what we would normally hear from the booth was covered by that. It was just not a big deal IMO; even then, at 15, I was sophisticated enough to not need them yammering at me. And who here among us hasn't been in a sports bar where they had all the games playing but only one with audio? Once in a blue moon something confusing happens that requires a verbal explanation, but most of these guys think they get paid by the word and wouldn't be missed in the least if someone "accidentally" pulled the plug on them.

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