The voice of Arena Football
Tim Ball
Friday July 11, 2008
Maybe you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover . . .
But in the world of TV sports you do judge a broadcast by its coverage.
Ray Bentley and ESPN have been found guilty of excellence.
With a voice that’s as familiar and welcomed as your friends over for brats and beer (and dogs and sodas for the kids), Bentley doesn’t just put on a show during a broadcast he sits down and watches the game with you.
Arena Football is so fast paced and has so many nuanced aspects to this particular game, you can’t expect the veteran fan to be up to speed most of the time let alone the uninitiated to know what’s going on unless someone tells them.
Bentley is the guy in the room knowing what’s going on.
During an AFL game, as an offensive coordinator sends in the play in “wing-wing, zoom-pogo” football-jargon to his quarterback; Bentley explains the bewildering action to come.” Something,” like this:
The motion man is going to do an in and out route and head for the corner of the end zone, the slot receiver is going to tail him and do a stop route at the first down marker, the center is going to pull to the left and block out the linebacker giving the quarterback options to hit the long receiver, the short receiver or the running back coming out of the backfield.
All this is going to happen in five seconds.
In rodeo, they get eight seconds to get their job done. In the NFL they get 60-minutes.
Whatever Bentley is making, it’s not enough. On top of deciphering the play book for his audience, he’s always on top of the never ending penalties happening on the field and explaining what the heck just happened. Again, “something,” like this:
That flag was probably because the outside rusher ran around the offensive end or the jack linebacker went beyond his allotted boundaries.
Until Arena Football decides to change more of its unnecessary rules the need for explanation is always going to exist.
No one explains things better than Bentley.
Time has come
For years the AFL has sought a voice, to define it.
For Arena Football and its name brand, Bentley has evolved into that most important of positions: explaining Arena Football to the public.
“Pogo” is usually thought of as jumping up and down, but in Arena Football it means scoring a TD. Or whatever.
We need things explained.
With Bentley, you get a live game broadcast that informs, entertains and advertises the AFL game all in one fun and fast-paced sporting event. Not only is his expertise in understanding the playbook a great aspect for the viewer, but he never lets anything slide without talking to us about it.
With nets thirty feet high, the metal frames surrounding them “in play,” linebackers that can only move in some box-like insanity, sideboards in every direction and more strange rules than a father talking to his daughter on her first date, Arena Football needs Bentley’s style more than they do a new sponsor.
Bentley is play by play, rule by rule, and happening by happening. And there’s a lot happening during an AFL game. He takes confusion and clears it away to the plain and simple.
You cannot ask for more than what he is giving this league in its live broadcast. Literally, you cannot ask for more.
“We’re certainly pleased with Ray’s work,” said AFL Commissioner David Baker. “I have supported his rise as an announcer and hope to see him successful for years to come.”
Not only is Bentley educating the viewer on the game and its complicated nuances, his knowledge of the players and the history of Arena Football gives the league what it needs most. People need to understand the history and tradition of Arena Football to appreciate its future.
When talking about Bentley, Commissioner Baker knows what he has in that position.
“Ray brings an upbeat and exciting style to his work that conveys the message about the AFL being an exceptional style of football,” continued Baker. “It is his ability to communicate the game in detail and excitement to the audience that sets him apart.”
Bentley does indeed do that.
The Commissioner needs no sales pitch when the product sells itself. I find it interesting that as the Commissioner, he still sees things as a fan does and likes the sport to find voice in on the field action and not gimmicks.
Just as Arena Football is, Bentley is substance and talent that has developed to be what he is. While other announcers bring their style to each broadcast, every team has its players, stars and superstars.
Bentley is out in front of the pack.
Seeing is viewing
How does Bentley see his work?
How to explain a game as fast as Arena Football on TV, where in just one quarter, 50-points could go up on the board?
Is Bentley one of us? Sure he’s been player on the legendary Buffalo Bills (1986 – 1991), a head coach in the AFL (Buffalo Destroyers 2000-2002) and is working at ESPN, but is his style performance or heart?
That question was asked.
“I came to this league for my love of football,” said Bentley. “Arena Football is tough, pure football where everything is left on the field on every play. The rules and structure of the game is such that it takes getting used to, and I feel my job is to bring the game to people to understand it and enjoy it.”
Watching a Bentley-announced game is like being invited over to his place. Bentley delivers the game not as a know-it-all, but with excitement and passion. His is a voice that the AFL was fortunate to find.
As a former player and head coach, Bentley has the perspective of a rapidly growing number of professionals in the AFL.
“The AFL has grown in ways that was only imagined fifteen years ago,” said Bentley. “People from all over the sporting world are realizing now what those in this league from the start always knew, that Arena Football is pure football played for all the right reasons.”
Bentley is not fooling around; when he talks football you get him looking right at you.
“I love football, always have and always will. I realize that I have a job to do, but I also like watching the game and talking the game,” said Bentley. “Hopefully, I bring to my broadcasts my true feelings. We should all be enjoying this sport for what it is.”
Applause meter
Ray Bentley is the right man for the right job at the right time for the AFL.
Watching Arena Football on TV can be confusing if left to the action on the field to define what is going on.
There is nothing, repeat: “nothing,” more important than seats being filled, but what is second to importance is broadcast viewer ship and new fans.
No matter the format, without fans there is no AFL. With Bentley, we have the game brought to the entire world not only the way it should be, but the way it has to be.
People that have loved this sport from the beginning know that Arena Football IS pure football when all is said and done. Its excellence exists in the game and in the players, coaches, and staff that bring that game to us.
For the novice viewer, the action of Arena Football can be overwhelming from opening kickoff to whenever the channel is changed. This can be in a matter of minutes if my family members and most of the people I hear talking about Arena Football are any indication of reality.
Sitting with my brother-in-law at the Chicago Rush/Grand Rapids Rampage game, one thing came to my mind:
It took some time for my prompting to get Bob to watch a game let alone go to one. But what caught my attention, is that he knew what was going on.
He knew this because of Ray Bentley.
