Color Commentator - United States and Canada

United States and Canada

Commentary teams typically feature one professional commentator describing the passage of play, and another, usually an ex-player or manager, providing supplementary input as the game progresses. The color commentator will usually restrict his input to periods when the ball or puck is out of play or there is no significant action on the field and will defer to the main commentator whenever there is a shot on goal or other significant event, sometimes resulting in their being talked-over or cut short by the primary commentator. Additionally, former players and managers appear as pundits, carrying out a similar role to the co-commentator during the build-up to the match, at half-time and post-game. In American motorsports coverage, there may be as many as two color commentators in the booth for a given broadcast. In addition to the broadcast of the game or event itself, pregame and postgame programs typically feature commentary from one or more analysts.