Why BBC Announcers Are Using Those Funny-Looking Microphones For Olympics Coverage

If you are watching the BBC's coverage of the Sochi Olympics you may have noticed some funny-looking microphones being used by some of the commentators, such as those at the curling venue above. Those are called "lip mics" or "commentator's lip microphones." These mics are much more common in Europe and were designed by the BBC in the 1930s to block out the noise generated by the crowd at sporting events such as cricket. Specifically, sound that is generated directly in front of the microphone i...