So it turns out that the CBC program Hockey Night in Canada is broadcast not only in English, but also in French, Hindi, Tagalog, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and Punjabi.
I, for one, did not realize the multicultural appeal of hockey, but I applaud the network’s dedication to making it available. But I want to focus on the Punjabi broadcast.
Punjabi is the native language of the people of the Punjabi people in Pakistan and northern India. It’s spoken by over 100 million people across the world, and is the third most common native language in Canada after English and French.
Hockey fans know that one of the most thrilling events in any game is when a fight breaks out. Whoever is running the show for the Punjabi broadcast knows this, and is all about emphasizing it.
You can check out a clip of their broadcast of the Canucks-Maple Leafs game here: https://goo.gl/85Wyoq.
It starts out pretty normal. The English announcer in the arena is barely audible under the highly excited Punjabi commentator. I don’t know what either of them are saying, but it sounds pretty typical for sports commentary. You can hear some background music start going after the goal.
Then the fight starts and so does the high intensity Punjabi fight music. You should really check it out.
Why don’t we do this in more sports? There’s fight music that plays when a team scores, sure, but this is a different thing all together. The music transforms it into a cinematic experience.
I often find that the words the commentators are saying are pretty useless anyway. Maybe I should start watching the Punjabi broadcast.
That way you can really enjoy the athleticism of it. Sports can be a cerebral experience. You can analyze the plays, calculate the stats and comment of the strategic importance of a game.
But at its core, the reason we like sports is because of the emotional experience of it. We want our team to win, but more than that we want an emotionally satisfying game.
Taking away the distraction of the commentators and adding the tasteful additions of the Punjabi broadcast might be just what I need this season.
