Announcers, especially local broadcasters, love to give players a fun nickname. Tune into any number of local MLB telecasts and you’re bound to be met with some wild nickname for a middle reliever you’ve never heard of.
Most of the time, these nicknames are said in good fun. It builds a sense of connection for loyal viewers who get the reference, and humanizes these larger-than-life athletes to the average fan. But occasionally, a nickname can create a bit of controversy.
That’s what happened during Saturday’s broadcast of the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason tilt with the Green Bay Packers when backup quarterback Jason Bean entered the game.
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“Let’s go to work here, go to work,” Colts television analyst Rick Venturi said on the broadcast as the team switched personnel. “It’s gonna be Beaner!”
“Jason Bean’s going to get his first snaps!” play-by-play announcer Greg Rakestraw replied as the Colts’ fourth-choice quarterback entered the game for the first time late in the fourth quarter.
“Beaner’s gonna be in there, second year with the team,” Venturi said, doubling down on the nickname.
It seems that Venturi wasn’t aware of that word’s racial connotations and just thought it was a fun nickname for the second-year quarterback fighting to make the roster. However, it’s definitely a word you’d like to avoid saying on television.
Perhaps a simple rule of thumb for announcers: unless an athlete actually goes by a certain nickname or they’re widely referred to as something other than their given name by fans, it might be best to avoid throwing something out on a live broadcast like Venturi did on Saturday.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.