Why were boxing ring microphones hanging upside down in the old days?
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There were no wireless microphones at the time. So the ring announcers could stand in the ring and to quickly announce fights they’d lower the mic from a gantry in the roof above. The wire wouldn’t be a trip hazard or risk being accidentally unplugged. Modern battery radio mics ended the need for this.
The microphone was suspended from the ceiling to prevent the cords getting tangled or caught up on the ring. A stage hand would usually lower the mic via a pulley system so the announcer could be in the spotlight in the middle of the ring. When the announcer was finished, the mic would be pulled back up out of the way.
Because they were hung by the same wire they were plugged into. If you lowered a modern mic it’d be “upside down” in the same way. Just easier than trying to rig something or commission a special mic to be “right side up” to our perspective. No matter the orientation, the mic detects the sound the same.
To record audio from the ring.
You might have noticed that the boxers are not wearing microphones.
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