In former times when a commentator became known as "the voice of" the particular sport they covered, you knew they had reached the pinnacle of their trade.
In Britain, Bill McClaren was definitely the "voice of rugby" and the same way boxing wasn't the same without Harry Carpenter's authoritative tones, while tennis was synonymous with Dan Maskell.
Likewise, the name you would immediately associate with Formula one was Murray Walker who sadly passed away last weekend at the age of 97 after a 52-year broadcasting career.
A tank commander during World War II, Walker took up motorcycle racing and reached a decent standard.
He later became a successful advertising executive, but motorsport was where his heart lay.
In 1962, he became the BBC's chief motorcycling commentator, occasionally covering F1 races.
In 1978, when the BBC decided to step up their F1 coverage, Walker was picked to lead the team and as a full time television commentator he played a major role in opening up a much wider audience to F1.
His enthusiasm for the sport and distinctive voice made him an immediate hit.
Some may have found Walker's excitable voice a bit over the top, but you could not ignore his passion for the sport.
Australian satirist Clive James famously summed up Walker's presentation when he observed: "Even in moments of tranquility, Walker sounds like a man whose trousers are on fire."
Listening to him on a Sunday afternoon was like putting on your favourite slippers.
With Walker at the helm, the next couple of hours was guaranteed entertainment and there was always the possibility of hearing broadcasting gems like the magnificent "excuse me while I interrupt myself."
One of Walker's frequent expressions was "unless I'm very much mistaken…" often followed by a hasty "I am very much mistaken."
The catchphrase proved so popular that Unless I Am Very Much Mistaken became the title of his autobiography.
What made Walker so appealing was that you knew that in his excitement he would make a few gaffes, which is a major hazard of live broadcasting, whatever the sport.
But when Walker made a slip, you laughed along with him rather than at him.
One thing for sure, he was never lost for words, although the words that came out were not necessarily the right ones.
Walker was proud that he usually got his facts right, but was well aware of his verbal shortcomings in moments of excitement.
He admitted "there were slips of the tongue, malapropisms and simply my way of saying things. Sometimes the words come out in the wrong order."
Walker could get quite animated during his commentaries and on one occasion came out with a splendid mixed metaphor "you can cut the tension with a cricket stump."
In one race, he blurted out "the lead car is unique, except of course for the one behind it which is identical."
And then there was "with half the race gone, there is still half of the race to go."
Nigel Mansell, who won the 1992 F1 championship, featured in some of Walker's more intriguing observations.
There was a terrific moment when the commentator announced to the world "Mansell is slowing down taking it easy. Oh no he isn't, it's a lap record."
Then there was the somewhat baffling "Mansell is now totally in front of everyone in this race, except for the two in front of him."
The passion was always there and when his close friend Damon Hill clinched the world title in Suzuka in 1996 you knew he was speaking from the heart when he said "I've got to stop as I have got a lump in my throat."
In a tribute to Walker this week Hill commented "he had a voice that was made for the microphone and motor racing."
Hill's sentiments were echoed by many during the week.
World champion Lewis Hamilton said he listened to Walker as a kid and commented "he made the sport so much more exciting and captivating."
Former F1 racer and now commentator, Martin Brundle, called Walker a "wonderful man in every respect. National treasure, communications genius, Formula 1 legend."
A final word from Walker which might sum up is appeal.
As one race neared its climax he commented "now we have exactly the same situation as at the start of the race, only exactly the opposite."
Nice one Murray. You will be greatly missed.