For most of us it pretty much feels like COVID is over. We’ve gone back to our jobs in person, no more mask or vaccine mandates, and no more social distancing required. But some industries still continue to be impacted by the virus.

In Sports Broadcasting, it seems that some radio crews have been asked to keep doing broadcasts remotely, which was a necessity during the height of the pandemic when travel restrictions prevented the possibility of doing shows on the road.

In the NHL, for example, even though 95% of all the broadcasters were back to doing road games in-person according to the NHL’s senior executive vice president of communications, radio broadcast crews for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, and the Vancouver Canucks are still doing remote broadcasts for road games.

The situation is similar in the NBA. Most teams have gone back to normal, with a few exceptions like the Orlando magic that are keeping up with the remote broadcasts.

It seems puzzling that some crews are still deciding to call games remotely, especially when it’s no longer necessary. Fans are being assured that they are still getting the full experience, but the truth is that not being there in person means less accuracy.

Paul Romanuk, who has called games for the Raptors, done Olympic coverage, and more, gave a comment to Vancouver is Awesome: “You can’t look down at the bench and see if a player is hurting after he blocked a shot … you can’t see if the coach is walking down to have a word with a player… you miss all of that.”

Many broadcasters who have been left stranded echo the same sentiments. The ability to convey the atmosphere and the electricity of a fast-paced hockey game, with the cheers of the crowd and the bustle of all the coaches and employees just doesn’t come across when you aren’t actually there.

At this point, it looks like for some teams, it’s a matter of cutting costs rather than of any concern for safety, which is a shame. That has definitely been one major down side of the changes society has faced post-pandemic.

Corporations, schools, and broadcasters realized that they saved a lot of money by going remote, and have decided to keep it that way even at the expense of the quality of the product.

I think it’s time these entities stop using COVID as an excuse for their laziness. Let the broadcast crews get back to doing what they do best.