It’s such a delicate balance. The lines are sometimes blurred. In the end there is a choice to be made and sometimes it doesn’t sit well with those paying the freight. It’s that fine line between calling it like you see it and doing it at the expense of a network or station partner.
What do you do? Not speak the truth and risk your audience thinking you aren’t credible or speaking your mind and risk, well in some cases your job?
I bring this up because of the situation that happened on Monday Night Football earlier this week. The Lions were called for two crucial “Hands to the Face” penalties, helping to take Detroit out of its game with the Packers. Now you could argue (and you’d be right), that the Lions took themselves out a possible victory all on their own, but let’s concentrate on the controversy for argument’s sake.
ESPN Monday Night Football analyst couldn’t hold back what he thought about both infractions, but had the most to say about the second call against Lions lineman Trey Flowers. McFarland exclaimed, “Again, that is a terrible call!” “That’s twice on Trey Flowers in crucial situations that the refs have blown the call.”
Remember ESPN and the NFL are partners in the broadcast rights of MNF on the network. But McFarland didn’t let that fact get in the way of more pointed commentary on the officiating. “That’s a bad call!” McFarland said. “That can’t happen!”
McFarland’s broadcast partner Joe Tessitore seemed to try and steer the ship in a direction that backed the umpire on Clete Blakeman’s officiating crew that threw both penalty flags. Tessitore tried to make a point that Flowers had never been called for a hands to the face penalty in his career. McFarland without missing a beat, said, “And he shouldn’t have been called tonight. Let’s make sure we let America know that. That’s twice. The first time it cost (the Lions) a sack. This time it cost them the game.”
ESPN’s rules official, former NFL referee John Parry watched the replay along with McFarland. Parry tried to cover for the officials, but in the end based on what he saw, couldn’t. “Let’s see if we can find something in the neck because keep in mind (the penalty is for a hand in the) neck or face mask,” Parry said. “But Booger, I do agree, based on what we’ve seen so far, it does look like he’s on the shoulder pad rather than the neck.” McFarland added, “That’s inexcusable. That cannot happen on a play like that. They’re gonna have to do some serious, serious explaining to the Detroit Lions.”
The NFL ultimately issued a sort of apology for the second foul, which really seemed to support the rant that McFarland went on. Social media showed a split decision in what the fans, players and media members thought. Some showed a distaste for the way McFarland expressed himself and others backed him unconditionally.
The comment on Twitter that made me start to think about this topic came from “The Athletic’s” Richard Deitsch. He wrote: “Booger McFarland was absolutely tremendous tonight in the 4th quarter. It’s also good for ESPN and the NFL in the longterm. You want people airing your product to be honest. MNF viewers had to suffer for years with analysts who saw everything via NFL-colored glasses.”
Will the NFL actually feel that way? It’s hard to think they would. Nothing has been said about any reprimands by ESPN or the NFL in McFarland’s case. There shouldn’t be any either. It’s hard to disagree with McFarland on this one. Love him or dislike him, he spoke the truth. If the NFL has issues, well maybe it should concentrate on its main problem this season: the officiating. Make that better and comments won’t have to be made like they were Monday night.
Most of us though, don’t work for high powered networks. We work for radio stations that have entered into deals with local teams, not their leagues. To me this relationship is a little more tricky. Stations rely on the teams for revenue, promotion and in some cases ratings. There isn’t as much leeway on the local level as there may be on the national stage. Those of us that handle these broadcasts need to be more mindful of commentary and rants. This isn’t to say you can’t be truthful in your broadcast because it is important to your listeners. I’ve covered ways to be truthful without bashing in previous columns.
At the local level, we need the support of our station management. They need to understand what your job is and how to protect your interests, the station’s interests and satisfying the team partner all at the same time. It’s crucial that they have your back under these circumstances.
There will always be that imaginary line drawn in the sand. The easiest thing to do would be never to cross it. More realistically, just have that inner voice within you telling you to watch out as you approach it and use your best judgement when you get there.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
