From a biased perspective...

One of the golden rules of announcing is not to show any sort of bias whatsoever.

I can't tell if this video below shows bias or not.



Ok.



A few weeks ago, I wrote about how wrestling announcers may have the hardest jobs when it comes to sports journalism. The ability to act like they have no idea what is going to happen even though they already do.

But after yesterday, my opinion changed.

Meet Paul Allen.



Now Paul seems very happy in this picture. But currently, Paul is having a rough year. You see, he is the official radio voice of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings on KFAN-AM in Minneapolis.

And for those of you who follow the NFL, you would know that the Minnesota Vikings, who were expected to be a powerhouse in the NFC, sit at 2-5 this year.

In fact, every game they play this year is almost comical. There are 2 reasons for this.

1) Brett Favre

2) Paul Allen

With Allen being the voice of the Vikings, he does play-by-play for every single game. Throw in the fact that he does a radio show on the station every day, and one thing is clear...this guy is a Vikings fan.

Here's where it gets interesting. Imagine having to watch your favourite team every week, but having to commentate the game to thousands of people.

Sounds easy and fun right? A dream job.

Sure, it can be great when your team is winning all the time, like Allen's Vikings last year.

But when the team is struggling, it can be a little trickier. Imagine having to commentate from a neutral perspective while your team is stumbling around the field and losing games. The Vikings stink this year. And poor Paul Allen is taking it pretty hard.

Yesterday, as I listened to portions of the radio broadcast, Allen sounded like he was going to drown himself in one of the 10,000 lakes that Minnesota is known for as the Vikings were defeated again. He was clearly depressed. He showed no enthusiasm.

We'll cut Allen some slack here. He is on Minneapolis radio, and NOT National radio, which would be a lot bigger of a deal. The audience tuning in is probably 90%Vikings fans anyways and they are feeling the same way as Allen. They're probably not going to be offended by Allen's biased announcing.

I'm picking on Allen right now, but every team in professional sports has a biased announcer, whether on a local tv station or radio station. And 95% of these announcers are professional enough to stay calm and broadcast the game as if they were just a random announcer calling the game. The other 5% throw professionalism right out the window. Paul Allen is one of them. But I feel for Paul. His job has to be one of the hardest there is when it comes to sports.

I'm a big San Diego Chargers fan and watching these games and trying to stay in control is hard enough. So if I was ever asked to commentate a Chargers game, I would politely decline. I would be a nervous wreck. I would show no professionalism. Basically, I would have to be removed from the broadcast booth halfway through the game.

So the next time you watch your favourite team screw up and you voice your displeasure, just thank the sports gods that your thoughts and opinions are not being recorded live for thousands of people to hear.

Cue Paul Allen.