can own — and yet they , a predominately white audience , are unquestionably accepting of this depiction .
The role of announcers is crucial in relating the drama to the audience . Morton and O ’ Brien state that there is a “ real parallel ... between the function of the Greek chorus and the function of the wrestling commentator ” ( 121-122 ). In Greek drama , the chorus provides a context and conceptualization for how the audience should interpret the conflicts in the play . The wrestling announcers , such as seen in the above example , contextualize the dramatic conflict to the audience by way of reinforcing a xenophobic logic . These announcers , commonly referred to as “ color commentators ,” are simply trying to intensify the audiences ’ response that has already been initiated by the wrestlers . Their roles in the spectacle , however , are not the same as the wrestlers ’, for whom there is a sense of distance from the audience . The announcers ’ role is , by comparison , a step closer to the audience — the announcers view the wrestling performance , but also assign a final context to which the audience will receive that performance . Serrato points out that throughout the 1960s , 70s , and early 80s , commentators played a crucial role in helping to popularize Latino wrestlers with the predominantly white Anglo audience , stating , “[ i ] f fans had any questions about the wrestlers ’ moral character , they had commentators to vouch for them as fine men and fine athletes ” ( 239 ). However , the more recent examples of WWE announcers and their interactions with Los Matadores show how announcers can function to reinforce the dominant ideologies that marginalize and subjugate Latino groups .
It is also important to note that the announcers ’ role works to contextualize the hegemonic social forces at play
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