There’s an old saying out there about how to find the right balance between being a “homer” and “objective” as an NBA broadcaster, and it goes something like this:
“The greatest announcers...they say, ‘When one side says you’re a giant homer and the other says you’re too hard on the home team, you’ve probably done your job.’”
Actually, that’s not an old saying; it’s a quote longtime Denver Nuggets analyst Scott Hastings in an excellent piece by Bleacher Report’s Leo Sepkowitz called “The Precarious Perch of NBA Broadcasters”, which focuses on the fine line NBA announcers have to follow when it comes to pleasing both their employer — usually the teams they announce for — and following the guidelines for the network they’re on.