In sports broadcasting, a sports analyst provides expert discussion of sports-related topics before, during or after a sporting event. Sports analysts are frequently former athletes who participated in the sport being analyzed. A sports analyst is different from a sports commentator

Sports commentator

In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...

 in that sports commentators provide a running commentary regarding a sporting event while the event is taking place, whereas sports analysts usually provide commentary about sporting events which have yet to take place or which have already concluded. The job of the color commentator

Color commentator

A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...

is a hybrid of the two styles, providing expert analysis of a sporting event while the sporting event is taking place.