any rules regarding PA announcers at high school football games?

i know the NFHS has guidelines for PA announcers at high school sporting events ( https://www.nfhs.org/sports-resource-content/public-address-announcers-guidelines/ )

but are there any actual rules regarding the conduct of the PA announcers?

i was at a high school game last weekend where, in my opinion, the PA announcer went beyond what should be acceptable at a high school athletic event. there were several instances of him imploring the home crowd to make noise to try to disrupt or distract the opposing team. if the crowd does that on their own, fine. but i don't think the PA guy at a high school game should be allowed to try to whip the crowd into a frenzy.

the most egregious thing, though, was when he (or a partner, i'm not sure) played music prior to (and sometimes DURING) plays when the visiting team was on offense, including the final play from scrimmage with the game on the line. i could live with the over the top (and otherwise obnoxious) celebratory calls after the home team did something well, even if i don't think it's appropriate. but when the PA announcer clearly is trying to have an impact on the game, a high school game at that, that's when i have an issue.

thoughts?

full disclosure: the team that i was there to support won the game, so it's not as if i'm butthurt because my team lost.

You are just butthurt because your team didn't win.  


For a while I was refusing to go to SHG home games because the guy doing the PA at SHG did all of that stuff. Maybe not the music, but he was accused of playing the music on a very loud PA  so as to disrupt the opposing team.

I didn't think it was very sporting. All of those games were won because SHG was better, but it didn't seem fair to have a loud PA guy sort of "in your face" if you were visiting.

I have no idea if there are any rules...I would guess not. If you try to legislate what a PA guy can say or do then you will always miss something that fits through the cracks. I would think that if opponents voice their concerns in a public way it would become effective eventually.

Not sure about "rules," but the old man at Cahokia had no leash and was hilarious.

Two gems I remember:

"We have a car in the lot with the lights on - its (fancy new car) - Oh, that's an Althoff car fo' sure."

Hickey broke one and their guy pursues 80 yards: "You ain't catching him 'Quan ..."

I can only imagine the angst if the final pass was incomplete.

I recently saw a video on Facebook (which I'm unable to share) of the final play. The video starts before both teams approach the line. The PA announcer is riling up the crowd with something to the tune of "get up on your feet right now!" All while the music of something like a loud electric guitar is playing; the music continues to play with no fade as both teams are on the line and the offense is counting the play - the music stops suddenly (no fade) approximately 1 second after the QB has the ball and drops back 3 steps.

I've heard "get on your feet," "make some noise" and things like that at quite a bit of football fields that I've covered games at over the years. "That's another .... [crowd yells 'first down!']" is another common sound bite at a lot of places.

Would the same policies hold true for starting lineups? Visitor lineups in near monotone, and going bonkers for the home lineups? Isn't that also whipping the crowd into a frenzy?

In the case of this PA announcer, and similar others, they'll forget that their purpose is to serve BOTH sides of the stadium, and not just one fanbase. Many of them will attempt in a look-and-adapt response to recreate the atmosphere of the pro or college scene, when high school level just isn't ready for it.

One solution to prevent such issues is to hire non-faculty and trusted-neutral PA announcers. I think faculty PA announcers can get caught up in the obligation by their employer to be a spark for increased student and atmospheric morale.

obviously part of home field advantage is having the PA guy on your side, but I agree although biased they should not be influential in the game. It seems like both of the circumstances you gave would both be considered bs.

I assume the ref would have the authority to flag the coach in such an instance. I presume would have to give a warning but I would think that is ultimately the refs call to enforce? I wonder if it would be enforceable like a sideline warning. Playing music during the count could certainly impede the flow of the game just the same.

#35 wrote:
I recently saw a video on Facebook (which I'm unable to share) of the final play. The video starts before both teams approach the line. The PA announcer is riling up the crowd with something to the tune of "get up on your feet right now!" All while the music of something like a loud electric guitar is playing; the music continues to play with no fade as both teams are on the line and the offense is counting the play - the music stops suddenly (no fade) approximately 1 second after the QB has the ball and drops back 3 steps.

that's how i saw/heard it as well.

https://t.co/RtXyq2uJwM

let me know if this doesn't work and I'll take off.

pa announcers can do all above but not do play by play, i.e. qb is back to pass. i can reference my point if need be.

I fixed it for you.


That was quite a way to end a game. I see a guy (coach?) begging for a PI after the play. It looked like both receiver and defender were vertical and going for the ball to me. Seemed pretty clean, but I can't see them the whole way down the field. It looked like the receiver had about five inches or more of height on that defender.

Teetime wrote:For a while I was refusing to go to SHG home games because the guy doing the PA at SHG did all of that stuff.

i'm the same. i just started attending home games this year myself.

btw, it wasn't the same guy all of last year. different dude.

we actually had the hawk available for our 1st game this year. unfortunately, not a lot to cheer about.

Completely agree, net.  I do not think the PA announcer should be influential.  

And, no, Wilky, neither should he be part of the home field advantage.  

Anything more than just the facts is nothing more than an adult trying to steal the limelight from the kids.

#35 wrote:
One solution to prevent such issues is to hire non-faculty and trusted-neutral PA announcers. I think faculty PA announcers can get caught up in the obligation by their employer to be a spark for increased student and atmospheric morale.

You have to be kidding. We barely can get proficient officials for games and we pay those guys.

Sorry. Not a practical solution.

A.D.s just need to step up and tell the home PA announcer to chill out a bit.

net wrote:

Teetime wrote:For a while I was refusing to go to SHG home games because the guy doing the PA at SHG did all of that stuff.

i'm the same. i just started attending home games this year myself.

btw, it wasn't the same guy all of last year. different dude.

we actually had the hawk available for our 1st game this year. unfortunately, not a lot to cheer about.

Mercy! I thought there'd be a lot more golf and a lot less announcing in my retirement.

Head Idiot wrote:

net wrote:

Teetime wrote:For a while I was refusing to go to SHG home games because the guy doing the PA at SHG did all of that stuff.

i'm the same. i just started attending home games this year myself.

btw, it wasn't the same guy all of last year. different dude.

we actually had the hawk available for our 1st game this year. unfortunately, not a lot to cheer about.

Mercy! I thought there'd be a lot more golf and a lot less announcing in my retirement.

What does Yaz think about all this?

You can bet your sweet bippy that Yaz would've the best play by play announcer ever if he'd wanted to.

In all my years in baseball, I've never seen a guy who could call a game like he could, while in left field, while still being the best player in the league.

OT:

Hire is the wrong word. Rather "pay". Do faculty-based PA announcers get paid a bonus or a small check to do games?

#35 wrote:OT:

Hire is the wrong word. Rather "pay". Do faculty-based PA announcers get paid a bonus or a small check to do games?

I can only speak for our situation - we rely on volunteers for PA, chain, play clocks, scoreboard - pretty much everything, but officials.

At some of the suburban schools they pay people to help at track & field meets to run events. I imagine those schools might pay a small stipend for a PA announcer.

I don't mind an overly enthusiastic "First down!" for the home team or when they score. However, much more than that gets pretty obnoxious fast.

pretty sure that sterling hs pays everyone who works the game - PA, chain gang, scoreboard, etc.

I did our PA for basketball games for a couple years because the normal person who did it never showed up so they grabbed me out of the stands. I enjoyed it for a couple of games, but I get way too engaged in basketball and found it difficult and frustrating controlling myself (I was 26/27).

When our kids scored, of course I put a little more emphasis and "oomph" into it, but I tried to do the same for the other team especially when a good play was made (like when a kid slammed it in off a rebound).

I am one of those guys in stands who gets frustrated with refs easily, but mumble under my breath and NOT shout out my disagreement. With a mic in my hand, a couple of things said under my breath like "how is that not a foul?" may have been picked up by the mic which was really embarrassing for me as it was completely inappropriate. Luckily, it was only heard by the people sitting by the speakers who found it hilarious and still give me hard time about it to this day, but still was embarrassing.

I do think being in the pressbox for Football gives you a feeling of "invincibility" because you are so far away from the action and refs.

tincup1215 wrote: (I was 26/27).

so last year.....

I did PA for a fresh soph game once like in 2002. I said incompete plass in the 3rd quarter and never turned the mike on again.

Head Idiot wrote:You can bet your sweet bippy that Yaz would've the best play by play announcer ever if he'd wanted to.

In all my years in baseball, I've never seen a guy who could call a game like he could, while in left field, while still being the best player in the league.

God damn...that was spot-on. I even read it in Hawk's voice!

+1

19delta wrote:

Head Idiot wrote:You can bet your sweet bippy that Yaz would've the best play by play announcer ever if he'd wanted to.

In all my years in baseball, I've never seen a guy who could call a game like he could, while in left field, while still being the best player in the league.

God damn...that was spot-on. I even read it in Hawk's voice!

+1

You know Stone Pony, I've always thought that of the top 5 impersonations of me all time, that after Yaz, Head Idiot does the best one. Dennis the Menace does a pretty good one, but HI has the vocabulary and cadence.

Don't tell me how a guy says catchphrases, tell me when he drops those catchphrases. That's the key to being a great impersonator.

Cadence? YES!!

As a certified PA announcer through the National Association of Sports Public Address Announcers (NASPAA), the course for certification stresses that an announcer is there to be an informer, not a cheerleader just because they have Mr. Microphone in their hand. They are to inform the crowd what is going on after the play as well as during a stoppage of play with timely announcements.

A PA man is not there to get the crowd into the game, nor should they be talking once a team breaks the huddle. All sounds are to cease as the offense comes to the line, or they run the risk of the home team being flagged for their conduct (15 yards). In addition, a good PA man will not play music or talk while an injured player is being tended to on the field, since there may be a need to call the responders to transport the injured player for medical attention.

In short, the actions as well as the inflection of the PA announcer can reflect on the school that they work for, and how opposing schools view the announcers' school. Whether or not they know it, the announcer is to do their job with sportsmanship in mind.

good info veeman, I did not know that.

ramblinman I stand corrected