Our ESPN personalities have given me much enjoyment throughout the course of my life, so much so that I can recognize the voice of who is talking when I am in a different room. Their voices give me comfort, happiness, and hope that things will go on as usual regardless of the adversity we are presented with. They are the voices of optimism. They find the good in most situations they have to report on. These professionals have taught me to not take life too seriously, especially when at work.
In the video above the ESPN personalities provide us with play-by-play commentary to amateur sports videos who feature children of all ages performing “incredible” sports feats. This video came about right around the time when America began shutting down due to COVID-19. The video was used as an opportunity to entertain sports fans in a time without sports, as well as give the commentators an opportunity to practice their craft.
The first part of the video that I find enjoyable is the man doing “on-deck circle” tricks with a bat. He does things with that bat that I have never seen before, and he does it so smoothly that it seems that the bat is connected to him with a string. He should probably be part of the Dude Perfect squad. My girls love that show. Where do people find the time to practice these tricks, and what is the purpose of them? The tricks amuse me, but I don’t see the point of learning how to do them. He wins though, because “bat-guy” is on a viral video and I am not.
Then there are a few toddlers that pop up next showing off their basketball shooting accuracy that’s better than Steph Curry’s. These types of videos always amaze me. These little kids figure out how to make baskets on their own, and enjoy doing it until an adult steps in and ruins them. Think about it. Once we get technical with teaching a game to kids a majority start to lose some of the passion. If we would just let them play with very minimal guidelines they would figure it out, and may find a better way of playing the game than what the adults think is the right way. Hopefully I can be one of those parent/coaches that can get out of the kids’ way so that they can shine.
As the video goes on the commentary confirms what I already believed. Bill Walton is the most entertaining ESPN personality out there. Now I get the complaints and reasons why people don’t like listening to him call a basketball game. “He never even talks about basketball or the game.” These are somewhat accurate claims, and they make sense if you are a purest of the game. I coach basketball and love the game, but when I get home and turn a game on I do it for entertainment purposes. There are time when I want to learn, but I can do that with the game on mute in those situations. To me Bill Walton is commentator who can provide all types of fans entertainment on the mic.
I love the ESPN personalities video for many reasons. The voices of the commentators are comforting, optimistic, and happy. These personalities are showing us how to adapt and adjust during difficult situations, while still enjoying their job. I think that is important. I don’t think enough people love what they do. We need to stop working for the paycheck. Myself included. I know bills have to be paid, but we need to start taking back our time and need to start enjoying our lives. As the Grateful Dead have taught me, “Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”
Josh Mach
Food For Thought:
- Who are some of your favorite sports commentators/personalities?
- Do you watch specific games just because of a commentator? (I do)
- Do you have any memories of some of the greatest sports calls in history? For example – Al Michaels shouting, “Do you believe in miracles?”
Mach's Mind 
First off, Bill Walton should not be able to commentate for any sporting events and I feel sorry for his partner. He goes off on tangents that do not have anything to do with what is going on in the game and his partner must try to bring him back to what is happening. I love college basketball its my favorite sport, but when I see him commentating, I watch something else. Bill Raftery is a great college basketball announcer for CBS; he gives great incites to what is going on in the games. For the NFL I like to watch games that are done by Troy Aikman on the Fox games. I do not watch specific games for the announcers, but I will turn of games, unless its Kansas Jayhawk’s basketball, if Bill Walton is the announcer. I have great memories of sports events, but I can’t recall what the announcers said during the play.
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Ha ha! I totally disagree, but that is the beauty of it all. We all get an opinion. Raftery is a great college basketball announcer, and I enjoy listening to him as well. Maybe be is so good because he has the same first name as my guy Bill Walton! Either way I believe that announcers can make or break the entertainment value of watching a game on television. We are lucky there are so many different personalities out there that are able to reach different groups of people.
Josh
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I can see how people can like his broadcasting, its just not for me. I also am glad their are different types of announcers, because not everyone likes the same announcers or the announcing style they use. I like when they take the NCAA basketball and the NBA announcers and have them switch and do the other broadcast they are not use to broadcasting.
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Henry,
That is pretty cool when the announcers switch levels. I like to hear their different points of view. It keeps the games fresh during that mid-season lull, if you want to call it that.
Josh
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oh man, I have seen some crazy Bill Walton segments. Like I said in another post of mine, good commentators don’t elevate the game for me but a bad one can definitely ruin it. I have obviously never seen a game on TV without commentary so i don’t know if a lack of talking would be worse then bad conversation.
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Josh,
I am a huge college football fan so my favorite sports commentators are the College Gameday cast consisting of Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, and Chris Fowler. I think they all have really good personalities for TV and they mesh well together when they are on the air together. I guess when it comes to other sports I don’t watch enough to know who is talking and who I like to hear over anyone else. I also think Tony Romo is really good when I decide to watch an NFL game.
I don’t watch any specific games for the commentators! I usually start watching a game and if I get invested or start to feel the game I just keep watching no matter what (if that makes sense).
I think one of my favorite sports calls in history was when Auburn ran back Alabamas missed field goal for a touchdown as time expired. I remember watching it live at a friend’s house and we went absolutely insane. The commentary was next level and I still get chills any time I watch the video.
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Hunter,
I love those guys on College Gameday! I think Herbstreit and Fowler are the best combo in college football. I guess it is kind of weird to watch a game because of the commentators, but I am that weirdo from time to time. I tend to do that because their familiar voices are relaxing and it helps me be stress free for a couple of hours. Probably another weird comment. Ha ha! I was watching that Auburn game live too. That was one of the best finishes I have ever seen. Tony Romo is great at his new job. I love it when he calls the play before the ball is snapped. That is that “elite” level intelligence for quarterbacks. He’s been one of the few new commentators that have been good in my opinion. Who’s your college football team?
Josh Mach
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Josh,
Not weird at all! If it’s something that you enjoy you just gotta do it no matter what haha. Tony Romo is so good at doing that. I love watching him for that reason it’s cool to listen to a guy that just is so intelligent when it comes to the sport. Gives an extra level of trust when you listen to the things that are coming out of his mouth. I have been a Nebraska Huskers fan my whole life and it has been rough the past few years, to be honest. I still have faith that they will get turned around but I know that it will take some time so I just have to be patient. I have taken the time to watch more teams and focus on specific players that I like watching in college so I find myself watching other teams besides the Huskers. Do you have a favorite college football team?
– Hunter
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I consider myself a Huskers fan too, but I don’t follow it super close. I watch on Saturdays, but I’m not the kind of fan that knows what recruits they have on campus and stuff like that. I like Frost, and hope he gets things turned around. And for crying out loud, stop recruiting QB’s with the last name Martinez! I’m only kind of kidding. Either way I just hope we get to have sports this fall my man!
Josh
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I think college game day is a lot of peoples favorite due to the level of the event. With how many games are happening at the same time and the fact that the game day crew is set up outside with usually hundreds of fans make s it much more energetic.
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I do love watching games that have commentators who bring fun into the game because sometimes the game can be honestly boring. I think commentators make or break a game. I mean, yeah some people want to learn while they watch a game but I like hearing someone lighten the mood with witty remarks. I don’t have any rememberable remarks made by commentators on the top of my head but overall I do enjoy sly comments that make people laugh. Sometimes games get to serious and that is when I get bored with them because people become to intense watching the game and the atmosphere is stressed. Commentators help relieve this feeling bring people back down a level in their intensity.
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Brittnee,
Agreed! Sometimes it is just nice to relax and be entertained when watching professional sports. Especially if I am watching a game that doesn’t involve my favorite team in that sport. I can understand how people want a more serious type commentary, and I do like that at times, but for me there is a place for both forms. There is nothing better than a solid witty remark when it isn’t expected. What sports do you like to watch on TV?
Josh Mach
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I enjoy watching football and basketball the most but I will watch almost any sport. It’s odd with sports not airing or being pushed back later than normal but it’s understandable. It’ll be interesting to see when sport seasons will return back to normal again!
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Hi Josh!
That was fun to watch. Like you I have enjoyed the ESPN commentators over the years. ESPN just did a feature on famous ESPN “This is Sports Center” commercials. It was awesome and made me miss Stuart Scott. As a Seattle sports fan, I love the voice of the Seahawks, Steve Raible. I also enjoyed the late Dave Niehaus of the Mariners. Niehaus always used to call grand slams, “grand salamis” In 1995 the Mariners defeated the Yankees in the ALDS when Edgar Martinez hit a grand slam. Here is my favorite sports call in history:
“Get out the rye bread and mustard gramma. It is a grand salami!” Classic Neihaus.
Mark
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Mark,
Love it! Those are the voices of our childhoods. Just like smells can bring back memories, I think the same can be said for the voices in sports. A lot of the commentators catch phases are used in our English language, at least by people involved in sport. My guy that I like listening to in the Midwest is Paul Allen for the Minnesota Vikings. I know some people don’t like announcers that are “homers,” but I love those kind of commentators. They have a real passion for the team. Thanks for the video Mark!
Josh Mach
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Josh,
I was just wanting to provide a simple link to the Mariner video. Instead the entire video appeared. Not trying to take over the blog with my stuff, even though you are a Vikings fan. You know, a commentator team that I enjoy listening to is Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth on Sunday Night Football. It is a great way for me to finish out the weekend before heading back to work on Monday.
Mark
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Josh,
Great video! Overall, I never really watch a game just for the commentors even though I appreciate all the good ones out there. There has been bad commentating during games thatI have watched, but if it is a good game I will keep it on. Being a great commentator takes tremendous skill and I think it is something that does not get enough credit in the world of sports.
One commentator that really shocked me by their skill is Tony Romo. Tony has been excellent in his new career field and calls one heck of a game. Once Greg Olsen retires I think he will be another great voice in the field!
Zach Parrella
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Hey Zach,
I agree, I think Tony Romo is great at calling NFL games. He is a talented dude. He’s pretty much a scratch golfer too. Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly would both be phenomenal in regards to their knowledge of the game. The ability that a lot of the commentators have to break down film or replays as fast and accurate as they do always amazes me. I could use some tips on how to break down film more efficiently during basketball season! Game commentators don’t necessarily cause me to turn off a game if they aren’t very good, but the best of the best certainly increase the entertainment value of a game tenfold, in my opinion.
Josh Mach
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Kuechly would be another good one if he were to get in the field. I am almost positive that I saw something about him getting into scouting for the Panthers.
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Why did Kuechly retire from football? Was it a concussion thing? I can respect some of those young guys that have a great/short career and get out while they are still healthy. Unless they are on my team. Then I just get mad. Ha Ha
Josh
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I think that played a role with it! Overall he felt that he could not keep up anymore and was not feeling like he was able to deliever his best results.
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Right on. I can respect that!
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I have not yet found a commentator that has been able to draw my attention to an event, just because they are speaking. I also enjoyed the video, and understand the appeal of having great commentators. If I am ever watching a game and the commentating is bad I will usually just mute the tv, r change the channel.
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I don’t think a lot of people watch games for the commentators but I do think bad commentators can ruin a game. the only show that I would watch instead of the actual game is the the TNT NBA crew with Shaq and Charles. Their comedic take on everything is entertaining, its almost like how guys will just get together to hang out and roast each other.
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Josh,
While I found this video extremely entertaining, I am not able to answer your questions because I can’t tell you the name of a single commentator. I haven’t watched a professional sporting event in several years because I don’t have a TV or any streaming service. I do remember listening to the local commentator for the MN Vikings with my Grandpa when I was a kid. I always thought he did a good job. But as far as ESPN commentators go, I have no clue. I do not watch certain games as I just don’t watch games in general. But thanks for providing the entertaining video!!
Jaclyn
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Hey Jaclyn,
That is kind of how we are with live TV at our house. I usually make sure I have some sort of live television for football and basketball season, and then put it on pause during the Summer. Did you find any one of the personalities in the video more entertaining than the rest?
Josh Mach
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Josh,
I do agree with you that Bill Walton is very entertaining! He has a very unique style and it works for him. I also enjoyed Chris Fowler in the clip you provided. Commentators have to have the right voice and Chris’ voice fits the bill perfectly. I’m not exactly sure what it is about his voice, but he is definitely in the right profession. All of the commentators in the video are very talented and easy to listen to.
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Right on Jaclyn! I think Chris Fowler is one of the best. I believe he would be successful at any type of “ON AIR” television job, not just sports. Like you kind of said, there is just something about him that makes you trust him. He is the Best!
Josh Mach
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Josh,
Some of my favorite commentators/personalities include Joe Rogan, Colin Cowherd, Shannon Sharpe, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, and Dicky Vitale. For me I won’t watch a sporting event just because of someone commentating that I like, but for instance I love MMA so when Joe Rogan is the commentator for some of the events, I definitely get more into the event and feel myself getting more excited as he gets louder and shows more expression. One of my favorite memories was when Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey and Joe Rogan just started screaming in disbelief and they showed the crowd in Australia and people were absolutely speechless. Thanks!
Jordan
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Hey Jordan,
I like all of those guys you mentioned. Rogan is an extremely intelligent dude. He obviously is great at whatever he does. The amount of knowledge he has in the sport of MMA is incredible. I have been watching the fights a lot lately because they have been free on ESPN, and he hasn’t been on for a few weeks. Like you said, the fights are better when he is calling the fights. I didn’t think many people, if any, watched events strictly for the commentators. I’m the weird one! The good ones definitely enhance the experience though!
Josh Mach
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Jordan,
Have you ever gone to an MMA fight? I like Pat McAfee on College Gameday. He brings a new attitude and personality to the show. I think he should be a commentator for more football games because I feel like he would bring in a lot of viewers just based on his personality.
Thanks,
Jacoby
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Jacoby,
Did you see McAfee on College Gameday last year? I thought he did great. I agree with you that he would be very entertaining.
Josh Mach
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Jacoby,
Yes, I have been to a fight, I went to the Demetrious Johnson vs Wilson Reis fight when it was in Kansas City! It was such a great experience and I would love ot go again someday if things get better in our world. I do think adding Pat McAfee as a regular on College Gameday would be a great addition. I liked him at the SDSU vs NDSU College Gameday but wish he wouldn’t have picked SDSU! Thanks!
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Josh,
With your question of, “Who are some of your favorite sports commentators/personalities?” Growing up I really liked Lee Corso and the rest of the College Gameday crew because I would play all of the NCAA Football games and listen to them all talk. My favorite sports talk show host is Colin Cowherd. I think he’s really good, but also don’t agree with him on everything. For college basketball, I used to love listening to Dick Vitale when he would announce games. I enjoy the TNT NBA crew with Shaq, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson. Those guys are hilarious.
Thank you for your post.
-Jacoby
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Hey Jacoby,
I’m with you. Growing up I always thought the Gameday crew was the best in the business. I miss having Chris Fowler on there. Cowherd is great too. I like him and Mike Greenberg as far as those types of show hosts. Like you said, I may not agree with them all of the time, but those two bring up the best points in my opinion. Are there any current professional athletes that you think would be great commentators once they retire?
Josh Mach
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Jacoby,
I also enjoy the TNT NBA crew as they are a very entertaining group to watch. They always get the information out there thats important to the game but have fun while doing it. I always enjoy watching Shag and Charles go at it and then Ernie try to get everything back under control.
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Barkley and Shaq are hilarious! I also think they are very intelligent, which is probably why those two are good at what they do. I think Shaq is one of the most talented athletes outside of their sport.
Josch
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I don’t really have a favorite sports commentator or personality. The closes person that would come top mind is Rowdy Gaines, who voices over many of the Olympic swimming events for the United States. I don’t watch any specific games because of commentators. I am usually drawn to the participating teams, or the sport itself.
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The situation that i appreciate good commentators in are games and sports that i don’t fully understand. This way i can learn from what is being said and grow my base knowledge of that sport. It is not helpful when commentators are just talking about nonsense like what that athlete eats for breakfast.
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Let’s go Rowdy crew!
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I am glad you bring up Bill Walton, as I know a lot of people aren’t very big fans of him because he always finds the most random things to talk about during a broadcast. But I know I love listening to Bill Walton because it’s just so entertaining. The past few years my roommates and friends and I would try to listen to every game he was commentating on just to see what he came up with next. Besides Bill Walton, I can’t really say I have many specific favorites or certain commentators I will listen to. I enjoy watching college basketball so when I think of memorable calls the voices that come to mind are Dick Vitale and Dan Shulman. Another couple memorable calls are Mike Breen’s “BANG” after big shots or “BLOCKED BY JAMES” in the 2016 Finals.
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I love listening to Bill. Some of my friends don’t because he hardly even commentates the game but I think he is hilarious. One time he spent almost 5 minutes talking about refrigerators! haha!
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Joey and Hunter,
He’s my favorite! Dave Pasch does a great job counter-balancing Billie too. I actually try to record most of the games they do, because they are so entertaining. When it gets down to it I think Bill Walton can talk x’s and o’s, but I appreciate that he ad’s his own flair to the game. It’s crazy that he is that knowledgeable about all those random topics!
Josh Mach
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Hunter,
Its always very interesting to see the direction some commentators take things. Whenever things take an unexpected turn, it can often times have a comedic ending. Its always enjoyable to have comedy from the commentators, it makes the sports much more enjoyable to watch and makes them much more interactive with the audience.
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Joshua,
Some of my favorite commentators include Jay Bills, Dicky V., Kirk Herbstreit, and the Tony Romo/Jim Nance combination. I don’t usually watch a sporting event because of the commentator, but I do think that if I turn the channel and they are on, it does make me stay on that channel if nothing else is on. The Al Michaels Miracle call is always a great one. Some of my most memorable ones include “Down Goes Frazier”, “The Band is out on the Field”, and personal favorite of when Ray Bourque got the Stanley cup after the Colorado Avalanche won the 2001 Stanley Cup.
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Josh,
I think of my favorite commentators is Tony Romo. I played football in high school, but I never spent a lot of time really learning strategy. This is one of the reasons I like Tony. He explains what the offence and defense are doing and what might happen from one play to the next. This helps me understand the different scenarios but also stay engaged in the game. I think I will always remember when the Vikings beat the Saints on the final play and the announcers immediately started calling it the “Minnesota Miracle”.
– Joey
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Joey,
The Vikings beating the Saints, is a play that in engrained in my head. Even though I am not a vikings or saints fan. It was simply amazing and truly a Miracle that everything happened how it did. I feel it brought hope to a organization that has had some downs throughout their history.
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Josh, Bill Walton might be the most entertaining play-by-play personality. He never stops talking and there is never a dull moment when he is calling a game. I can only listen to so much of him though. Jim Nantz and Jay Bilas are two of my favorites. I am a big college hoops fan and I enjoy listening to these two. I avoid games if Dan Dakich is on the call. He loved the BIG10 and has so much bias toward the conference and his alma mater Indiana. It is just hard to listed to a game with him calling it. I will tune in if Gus Johnson is on the call. He has great enthusiasm and brings an excitement to college football and basketball games. A few calls I remember are both from Bill Raftery. He always says the phrase “onions” when someone makes a big shot in a basketball game. It never gets old! His other call was well before my time but it was when Jerome Lane of Pittsburgh went in for a fastbreak dunk and he broke the backboard. His call was “send it in Jerome.” Do you have a play-by-play personality that you avoid whenever they are on?
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Chase,
I agree with you when you say Bill Walton is interesting, however, I can’t handle listening to him. I guess if there is nothing else on I can do it.
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He usually calls the Pac-12 Basketball games that start at like 10:00 PM so I don’t think a lot of people listen to him. I think we see more clips on social media and sports apps of him saying something outrageous that makes absolutely no sense!
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Personally, I am not one who specifically watches for the commentators. However, I do enjoy listening to former professional players. They provide so much insight and knowledge to the game that most people don’t even have. Its always great to learn new things about the sports that we love. Another aspect that I like is that there is often a fair amount of comedy to balance things out. The balance of analytics and comedy makes watching these people much more enjoyable.
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I completely agree with you here. Listen to former competitors always gives a better insight to the game. It’s fun seeing the compilations of Tony Romo correctly predicting play calls and routes; it’s a nice insight into the mind of the player. I like Bisping for the same reason in the UFC; he does a great job of communicating how a fighter is probably feeling and what they need to do. You can never go wrong with adding some comedy to a broadcast, especially since it’s usually not so expected so the one-liners hit a bit better.
Jordan
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I don’t really watch ESPN, but I do like that all the commentators are using videos of kids or amateurs. It shows a different side of commentators and something fun to watch without college and professional sports playing right now. It makes all of the kids feel even more important than the cool trick that they did.
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Josh,
I can’t name any particular sports casters I like the best, but I really enjoy ESPN sometime after 10pm. It seems that they let loose and really go for the one liners and let a little adult humor sneak in when they know less children are watching.
I do not watch specific games, but I will pay attention to the commentating when it is Tony Romo. The arbitrary small talk gets on my nerves, but Tony actually talks football.
I can’t say I pay attention to commentators enough, but the only sports call that comes to mind is the classic “the band is out on the field” call from the Stanford vs Cal game.
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Devon,
I like your thoughts about adult humor. I think I would also enjoy watching ESPN commentary more with a ‘late night’ vibe. Maybe I’ll have to check out the later broadcasts!
Hailey
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My favorite sports commentator currently is Dick Vitale, the passion that he has during games just makes it so entertaining to watch. I also enjoyed watching Stuart Scott and all of his hilarious catch phrases. Personally I do not watch specific games based off the commentator I personally watch games based off of who is playing and if I will enjoy that. My personal favorite is Kirk Gibson’s walk off homerun called by the great Vin Scully. I will always love watching the rerun of that at bat, simply amazing.
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Josh,
The only sport show I watch regularly is College Gameday, so that crew probably takes the cake for me for best commentators/personalities. I don’t really have any other favorites, but there are certainly some I can’t stand (Cris Collinsworth). I can’t say I watch certain events more or less because of a commentator, it’s more about the event itself for me. that being said, I do enjoy Bisping’s commentary during UFC fights, especially because he’s usually tweeting like a madman while he’s doing it.
There are certainly some iconic calls that I love (down goes Frazier; Man, woman and child did that put ’em in the aisles! Johnny The Jet Rodgers just tore ’em loose from their shoes), but I obviously didn’t hear these calls live. Not by any means the greatest in history, but I’ll always get chills hearing the radio call for the Nebraska Hail Mary win over Northwestern in 2013. I was maybe 20 rows up from where the Hail Mary was caught, so that call definitely holds some importance for me. Hearing it the next day gave me goosebumps.
Thanks for the read,
Jordan
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Josh,
This is a pretty biased answer, but I love listening to Rowdy Gaines commentate. He is a former Olympic Gold Medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame-er. He commentates most televised competitive swimming events (and there aren’t many of them). It’s great to hear someone talk through each lap with the exact knowledge of what kind of pain, strength, and mental capacity it takes just to complete each stroke. He gets very excited and his tone is all over the place when he announces. It makes the competition that much more fun to watch! I really don’t know a crazy amount of sport commentators, so no I do not watch any particular sports just for the commentator. I’m not sure if this would qualify as one of the ‘greatest in history’, but when the Chicago White Sox won the World Series in 2005, I specifically remember the announcer using the famous Sox tagline after the winning run was scored by yelling, “You can put it on the booooaaaaaaaaaaard……….YES!” I’m a Cubs fan at heart, but I’ll root for Chicago no matter what, and that memory is a great one to have even if it was on a television.
Thanks for the post,
Hailey
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