Crowd microphones have the dual benefit and drawback of capturing every sound from the audience. This was evident during an ESPN softball broadcast featuring Arizona State and Texas.
In this particular game, a spectator approached a crowd microphone and uttered something inappropriate, interrupting the broadcast. The fan’s voice could be heard saying, “Lick my b*lls*ck” during a 0-1 pitch in the seventh inning.
Despite the unexpected disruption, play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown remained unfazed, seamlessly continuing his discussion about Arizona State’s manager, Megan Bartlett. “You’re going to compete for national championships as an assistant, and then they’re going to send you off,” he stated, showing professionalism in the face of the intrusion.
In spite of the brief lapse in decorum, the day proved victorious for the Longhorns. They shut out the Sun Devils with a decisive 5-0 win, securing their place in the Women’s College World Series.
As the Longhorns gear up to face Tennessee on Thursday, it’s likely that extra precautions will be taken to ensure crowd microphones are closely monitored.
Obscenities aside, it was a great day for the Longhorns, who defeated the Sun Devils by a final score of 5-0 and punched their ticket to the Women’s College World Series.
The Longhorns will face Tennessee on Thursday, where, presumably, there will be very careful monitoring of the crowd microphones.