I’ve been listening to Radio Roland Garros this week, as per usual, and really loving the descriptive commentary of matches. I’ve opted not to got access to watch this year so am relying solely on the radio for coverage.

It reminded me of a quote from Chris McCausland’s excellent autobiography about watching football versus listening to it. As someone who gradually lost his vision, Chris has experienced all variations of these available methods, and has thoughts about which is better.

With the World Cup imminent, this is a really timely thing to think about as well. I’ve pulled out the pertinent bits of the quote, although there were a couple of hilarious anecdotes contained within as well - I definitely recommend giving that book a read.

Football on the radio is wonderful. It’s free, it’s lively, and it brings the game to life in ways that are thoroughly captivating. My life would have a huge void if football on the radio was to cease to be a thing.

I miss being able to watch it on the TV, though, because as wonderful as football on the radio is for my own engagement with the game, football on the TV is social, and should be shared with others whenever possible.

…

Before football moved to Sky and TV later went digital, it was possible to put the radio commentary on and it be perfectly synced with the football on the TV. I could turn down the TV volume and have the best of both worlds, able to watch what was happening but with far superior and more descriptive commentary. This was the preferred method of watching football for many fully sighted people because it was widely accepted that the radio commentary was a much better experience for everybody.

…

Wouldn’t it be nice if broadcasters like Sky offered two live commentary feeds with their games and allowed viewed the choice between the standard minimalist TV waffle and a much more engaging and detailed radio-style offering? I think they’d be surprised by how many of their sighted viewers would opt for the second option. It’s an absolute no-brainer for me.