While his knowledge of the sport is indisputable and his experiences are beyond compare, what bugs me most about him is a sense of mean spiritedness. (We call him "The Voice of Doom" around our place.) He'll constantly run down skaters during a performance with such seemingly viscious negativity that it's downright rude. I mean, you can point out problems in a program without dumping on a skater, talking about the impact of the performance on their "career" or using the word "shame." Just because he's accomplished doesn't give him the right to insult competitors. He's an announcer, after all, not a critic.
I much prefer Scott Hamilton. Here's a guy with a few titles and no shortage of experience either. He also points out problems with a performance without sounding like he's TRASHING the skater. He also has a more relatable vocabulary, never using terms like "frivolous frumpery." And he sounds happier, as if there's no place he'd rather be and enjoying (or sympathizing with) what he sees. Dick often sounds sour and bored. Maybe he is, I don't know.
Being an announcer myself, we're taught to constantly critique ourselves and each other. These are my impressions, along with those of other DJ friends I've casually asked along the way. Those of us who know Mr. Button might revere his knowledge and history, but the casual viewer is sitting at home saying, "Who IS this guy and where does HE get off?" The differerences between Buttom and Hamilton is almost a classic example of the old saying, "It's not what you say, but how you say it."
I much prefer Scott Hamilton. Here's a guy with a few titles and no shortage of experience either. He also points out problems with a performance without sounding like he's TRASHING the skater. He also has a more relatable vocabulary, never using terms like "frivolous frumpery." And he sounds happier, as if there's no place he'd rather be and enjoying (or sympathizing with) what he sees. Dick often sounds sour and bored. Maybe he is, I don't know.
Being an announcer myself, we're taught to constantly critique ourselves and each other. These are my impressions, along with those of other DJ friends I've casually asked along the way. Those of us who know Mr. Button might revere his knowledge and history, but the casual viewer is sitting at home saying, "Who IS this guy and where does HE get off?" The differerences between Buttom and Hamilton is almost a classic example of the old saying, "It's not what you say, but how you say it."