Public address announcer

A public address announcer (or PA Announcer) in sports is an announcer who serves as the main voice of a stadium or sporting venue. The announcer gives attendees information about the event, the participants, teams, players, score, statistics, and other information, and generally the announcer serves as the hosting voice of the stadium or venue.

The practice likely dates back centuries. It is believed that announcers provided information to spectators at the Roman Colosseum, which held competitions and events as far back as 80 AD.

In professional sports, the public address announcer is a crucial part of the spectator experience. PA Announcers in professional sports often speak live to an audience of up to 100,000 people, with no ‘delay’ or ‘dump button’ available to television or radio broadcasters. In amateur sports, the public address announcers – often a volunteer – also becomes an important part of the game.

Responsibilities

Public address announcers typically have the following primary responsibilities:

• Announce all pertinent information associated with the event
• Accurately report information about the event
• Accurately pronounce the names of all competitors and individuals involved
• Read or articulate scripted and unscripted materials provided by event personnel
• Refrain from commentary or editorializing about the event
• Provide any emergency announcements required by event personnel

Notable Public Address Announcers

Main article: List of American public address announcers

Many public address announcers are well-known by fans, often due to longevity with their team.

Organizations and Training

The National Association of Sports Public Address Announcers is an American organization designed to promote public address announcing and educate announcers.

References

This article "Public address announcer" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Public address announcer. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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