In addition to describing in-game action, broadcasters sometimes wind up having to describe non-game things happening at the stadium. Fortunately, Aaron Murray didn’t have to tell ESPN2 viewers what was happening in the stands at Wednesday’s UTEP Miners-Sam Houston Bearkats Conference USA football game. But watching a man in a penis costume get kicked out of that game was still the “hardest part” of the broadcast for him, as he relayed on Twitter Thursday:
“Last night, I’m on the call for the UTEP versus Sam Houston State. We’re in the stadium calling the game, it’s a great game, awesome game. Back and forth, back and forth, last-second field goal to win it. But that wasn’t the, the hardest part of calling that game.”
“No! The hardest part was looking down in the middle of the game and this guy dressed up as a penis is being escorted out of the stadium. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I’m trying to call the game, and this is just, bam, right there in my face!”
“What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? I’m trying to do my job. Kick him out of the stadium!”
That is truly a wild story. And it’s understandable that it would be distracting for someone calling the game. And while Murray is a veteran analyst at this point (he began working as a CBSSN game analyst in 2017, when he was just 26, and joined ESPN last year, and more), this was probably still a new experience for him.
[Aaron Murray on Twitter]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.