A sports commentator, often referred to as a radio or television announcer or reporter, is responsible for researching sports-related news stories, athletes' performance statistics and specific game rules. A sports commentator regularly interviews guest athletes and publicly commentates on televised and radio broadcasted games.

A sports commentator uses his personality, voice tone, expertise and enthusiasm to appeal to listeners. A sports commentator's salary is dependent upon mean annual wages, industry type and geographic location.

Mean Annual Wages

National mean annual wages are often used by employers to determine salaries for recently hired sports commentators.

The supply and demand for sports commentators also influences average annual salary levels. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May of 2009, the mean annual wage for sports commentators / radio and television announcers was £27,040. Of course, sports commentators on major television networks earn higher wages than those employed by local broadcasting networks.

Type of Industry

The type of industry partially determines a sports commentator's average annual income. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May of 2009, radio and television announcers employed by spectator sports companies earned an average of £50,700 per year. Those who worked for cable and subscription programming networks earned an average of £35,945 on an annual basis. Sports commentators employed by general radio and television broadcasting networks who reported on sports and other news earned an average of £27,170 annually.

Geographic Location

Geographic location affects a sports commentator's average annual salary. Economic factors and cost of living indexes also influence those salary levels. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May of 2009, sports announcers employed in West Virginia (where no professional sports teams are located) earned an average of £17,745 per year.

Sports commentators in Arizona earned an average of £35,685 on an annual basis. Those employed in New Jersey, closely associated with New York sporting franchises, earned an average of £39,650 per year.

Experience Level

A sports commentator's level of experience in the marketplace affects her average annual salary range. According to My Salary, level one reporters who report on sports, news and other features earn an average of £20,540 per year. Level two reporters with 1 - 4 years of experience in the industry earn an average of £24,440 annually.

Level three reporters with at least 5 years of experience in the field earn an average of £33,150 on an annual basis. Those at the top 10 per cent of wage earners in the sports commentating industry earn upwards of £41,145 annually.