Baseball Play-by-play

The nature of the game makes baseball the most difficult sport to broadcast. Learn how to master the art of play-by-play for America’s pastime.

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Keys to Elite Baseball Play-by-play

Discover the key fundamentals to great baseball broadcasting and learn advanced techniques for setting yourself apart in one of the most competitive genres of sports broadcasting.

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STAA Play-by-Play Pyramid

Use the STAA Play-by-Play Pyramid to build your baseball broadcasts from the foundation up or use the pyramid as a self-critique guide.

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Videos & Additional Baseball Resources

Group Critique 45: October 2020

We have audio critiques featuring football, baseball and interviewing. The video portion focuses on football play-by-play and TV sports anchoring.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • An important area where broadcasters are held to a higher standard.
  • When to sprinkle scores from other games into your broadcast. And when not to.
  • A baseball play-by-play tip you’ve likely never heard but will make a big difference
  • A common interviewing mistake.
  • An important time NOT to talk in a football telecast.

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Posted on in Audio, Videos
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Group Critique 43: August 2020

Audio-only this month, featuring baseball and basketball.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • The reason you’ll want to divide your baseball broadcasts into thirds
  • The place to habitually give the score in your baseball broadcast
  • Tips for emphasizing the importance of base runners
  • A key to slowing down your basketball play-by-play

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Group Critique 41: June 2020

We hit for the cycle in the audio program — football, basketball, baseball and hockey play-by-play. The video features sports anchoring and reporting, interviewing and baseball play-by-play.

Among the nuggets . . .

  • Subtle examples of using your voice as an instrument
  • A common mistake among basketball broadcasters
  • How over-using first and last names can hurt your broadcast
  • The advantage of sounding conversational versus polished
  • Examples of great script writing
  • Tips on effective structure for questions
  • How to emphasize the subtle but important storylines in your play-by-play

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Group Critique 39: April 2020

We have audio and video this month featuring basketball, baseball and hockey play-by-play.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • Key info to include with time and score
  • Why fair and foul balls should be treated equally
  • Great examples of character development in a hockey broadcast
  • Why you give time and score immediately after a made basket
  • Two tips for maximizing the resonance of your voice
  • How to use your personality to set your broadcasts apart
  • How to vary your pacing
  • How to underscore key moments in a basketball game
  • Advice for setting up your analyst for success

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Posted on in Audio, Videos
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Group Critique 35: December 2019

The last Group Critique of 2019 is here! The audio features football, basketball and baseball play-by-play. The video segment includes baseball and basketball.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • When it’s acceptable to give the score deficit instead of the numeric score.
  • Advice for doing live reads.
  • When statistics enhance, not hurt, your broadcast.
  • A suggestion for working a clever line into a broadcast.
  • Suggestions for keeping tabs on base-runners.
  • How talking less heightens drama.
  • How to use words to compliment the time and score graphic.

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Posted on in Audio, Videos
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Group Critique 33: October 2019

This month’s critique session features 10 clips, ranging from football and baseball play-by-play to sports talk show hosting. Love the volume and variety this month!

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • The information that should booked every play in football.
  • A key for being sure you leave your analyst sufficient time to comment.
  • Why it’s important to describe foul balls as accurately as balls put into play, and some good examples of it.
  • The play-by-play voice’s role as a sales person for the broadcast’s advertisers and a strong example of it.
  • Two words a sports talk host should never say.
  • An easy way to find your “best voice.
  • The proper tense for play-by-play broadcasts.
  • How to turn your play-by-play narrative into a story that will keep listeners engaged.
  • How to prevent your favorite words and phrases going from cool to cliche.

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Group Critique 32: September 2019

The audio critique features football, basketball and baseball, while the one video we review this month is soccer.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • What you must do before breaks to avoid sounding hurried after them.
  • What must be included before and after each football play.
  • Why it’s important to vary your energy level.
  • Two pieces of info that should almost always be given together.
  • When to incorporate edginess into your broadcast.
  • A fundamental that is mandatory in TV play-by-play.
  • The times of your telecast when you MUST watch the monitor.

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Group Critique 31: August 2019

This month’s group critique session reviews six clips, including baseball, basketball and an interview.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • An important consideration when choosing the start of a demo segment.
  • An especially effective way to phrase an interview question.
  • The thing that must not be ignored when a runner is on base.
  • A two-word phrase that does not belong in your play-by-play.
  • The critical thing you must do on every basketball change of possession.

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Group Critique 30: July 2019

We have audio and video this month. The audio features basketball, baseball and softball. The video includes football and, for the first time ever, auto racing!

Among the things you’ll learn . . .

  • When it’s okay to use players’ first and last names in basketball . . . and when it should be avoided.
  • The piece of information that is even more important to give consistently than time and score.
  • A quick and easy way to immediately elevate the energy in your broadcasts.
  • How to make listeners who don’t care about either team still care about your broadcast.
  • The definition of a great home run call.
  • When to share stories during your baseball broadcasts.
  • When to leave the previous play and turn your attention to the next one.
  • The recurring instance in a football broadcast when you should say nothing.
  • How to borrow from other sportscasters without being obvious.

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Group Critique 28: May 2019

This month we are featuring radio critiques of basketball, baseball and an interview. The TV critique features basketball play-by-play.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • A simple exercise to help you immediately find your big play voice
  • What it means for a play-by-play voice to get out of the library and onto the roller coaster
  • Two words to eliminate from your play-by-play vocabulary
  • An example of a strong interview question technique
  • Something you can get away with radio but not on TV
  • Good example of word economy in TV Play-by-Play

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