Lakers vs. Hornets; The Behind-the-Scenes Staples Experience

Although the Lakers have had a pretty tragic season so far (9 wins and 41 loses, ouch) coming from a Laker-fanatic family somewhat fuels my desire to keep rooting for the Los Angeles team no matter what. Having the privilege to go to a Lakers game with my classmates last Sunday felt like a dream come true; and our behind-the-scenes experience at the game made their loss a little less painful.

On Sunday, January 31st, my Sports Commentary class and I had the privilege of attending a Lakers NBA season game at the Staples Center. However, we didn’t just attend the Lakers vs. Hornets game as spectators. We were able to go behind the scenes and fully immerse ourselves into the role of official sports commentators. Being in this role showed me that there was much more that goes into a game than a spectator would think. It is up to sports commentators like us to be on our game by letting them know what they’ve missed.

When we arrived at the Staples Center we were given media passes, were ushered onto the court and then were given a few minutes to get into our commentator personas. Our first task of the night was to give a 1 minute pregame commentary-- which sounds pretty simple in theory, but is a completely different task in person.

To prepare for my commentary, I did research, looked up previous game footage, looked up game analysis and tried to cram every bit of knowledge that I could find about the Lakers or the Hornets into my head. I had a script laid out, my commentating voice ready and I was sure that I was going to shine on camera. However, once I stepped foot onto the court, where Lakers players were warming up a mere 4 feet away from where I stood, everything that I had practiced vanished. I’ve had very mild stage fright before, but this was something I had never experienced. I could barely choke my name out before the nerves completely took over and I couldn’t recall a single fact about the game. The great thing about being there in a class setting was that I had a lot of support from my teacher and peers. My mistakes on the first taping only fueled my drive to do even better on my future commentaries.

Once the class was finished taping their commentaries, we took an elevator up to the media center. From here we had a clear view of the entire court, while screens above our heads flashed game stats every second. We were given extensive media pamphlets and score sheets, and watched as media professionals took seats around and below us to transcribe the game as well.

My favorite part of the entire evening was being able to go down into the tunnel to enter the press room. While we waited for entry, Kobe, Meta and other players I have heard my father talk about before walked right past us to go to the locker room. There was no time to be starstruck, however, because immediately after we were prompted to enter the press room. Once we were seated and coach Byron Scott came to give his debrief, I sat in awe with my classmates as we watched journalists and commentators ask questions.

My experience as a practice sports commentator at the Lakers vs. Hornets game was incredible. I never understood how much truly went into transcribing, reporting or commentating a game, and how many people work behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly. It was a great, hands-on learning lesson that I could not have achieved in a classroom. I can not wait to go back to the Staples Center for the Clippers game to do it all over again-- this time with more confidence, less nervousness, and a little more hope that the home team will actually win.

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