The good, the bad and the reviled of TV sportscasting
By Tony Zonca — MikeDragoSports.com senior contributor
As a kid I remember listening to boxing on our trusty Philco radio, the blow-by-blow guy by the name of Bill Stern.
Boxing was big back then, behind only big league baseball in fan interest. The NFL took a back seat to college football. College basketball, though March Madness was a long way off, exceeded the pro game in popularity. There were only eight teams in the NBA, located in the hinterlands of Fort Wayne, Ind., Rochester, N.Y., and Syracuse. Big man George Mikan was the face of the NBA; today he would be lucky to make it as a backup.
Regarding other spectator sports, the American public saw ice hockey as a Canadien product. Golf and tennis were the sport of the country club set, and horse racing was the so-called Sport of Kings.
Baseball — with 16 teams — was truly the National Pastime.
Then came television.
In the early 1950’s just nine percent of U.S. households owned a television; by the late 60’s about 94 percent were plugged in.
Television coverage would change the landscape of sports and make stars of the likes of Howard Cosell and later Dick Vitale, whether you liked them or not.
Roone Arledge, the president of ABC Sports, introduced Wide World of Sports, featuring Jim McKay. The breakthrough show was hugely popular. Arledge played a major role — Olympics coverage would follow — in making sports the global and moneyed enterprise it became.
In 1970 Arledge introduced the nation to Monday Night Football, with Cosell, Frank Gifford and “Dandy” Don Meredith in the booth. The telecast became a social institution, rivaling Johnny Carson for late-night superiority.
Cosell was a colossal blowhard with a massive ego. He angered, amazed, outraged and entertained audiences like nobody before or after. Later he hitched his wagon to Muhammad Ali, where he became a willing foil.
Then along came ESPN and SportsCenter. The early stars of the 11 o’clock show were Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann. They were a combination of the Smothers Brothers and Rowan and Martin. They were funny, irreverent and courageous, unafraid to tackle any controversy. They also were a bit snarky, which their critics were wont to point out.
I couldn’t write this peace without mentioning Vitale and Bill Walton. Thanks for the mute button. Vitale was reviled, especially in the early days, for his tiresome delivery and unrelenting buzzwords. He seemed to think the game was secondary when he was covering it. Walton, a Peter Pan in a tie-dyed top, is often incoherent, the game an intrusion on his rambling commentary.
I came up with a personal rating system for all these many years of sports coverage on the airwaves. You may disagree; you know what they say: One person’ s floor is another’s ceiling.
THE GOOD: Jim Nantz, Bob Costas, Keith Jackson, Jim McKay, Jack Buck, Dick Enberg, Tony Romo, Al Michaels, Al McGuire, Jay Bilas, Pat Summerall, Jack Whitaker, John Madden, Bud Collins, Mary Carrillo, Pam Shriver, Dottie Pepper, Doris Burke, John and Patrick McEnroe, Larry Merchant, Mike Tirico and Meredith.
THE MEDIOCRE: Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth, Curt Gowdy, Chris Schenkel, Brent Musburger, Jim Lampley, Marv Albert, Tom Brookshier, Erin Andrews and Gifford.
You may wonder why Erin Andrews is on this list. Well, as a journalist I find her habit of literally embracing male athletes after an interview, often in the arena, to be lacking in professionalism and credibility. Plus, when she does in-studio interviews she often dresses as though she’s going to the Oscars. Perhaps she should return to ‘Dancing With the Stars.’
THE BAD: Stephen A. Smith, Chris Berman, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, Michael Barkann, Kevin Millar, Terry Bradshaw, Cosell, Walton and Vitale.
I’m sure I missed a few, just as I’m sure I created some disagreements. But tell me one unrelated person who enjoys the work of Stephen A. Smith.
