Robert Griffin III is part of Monday Night Countdown on ESPN this year and he made a big impression on Dan Le Batard in week one. Le Batard hypothesized that the Heisman Trophy winner’s race with a hawk prior to the Monday night game between the Seahawks and the Denver Broncos may have been the most interesting part of ESPN’s broadcast.
“You got RG3 beating him at the wire,” Le Batard said on his Tuesday show. “That was great television!”
Video showed that Griffin did indeed beat the hawk, but the fact that the hawk pulled up to get a treat from its trainer definitely helped. Dan Le Batard said it was proof that being great on TV is about being unique and creating moments people remember.
“You can’t imagine many of the people that broadcast around that show giving you the visual image of running in dress clothes and sprinting and catching a bird,” he said.
Mike Ryan told Le Batard that plenty of people on social media are not fans of RG3 as a broadcaster.
“People are saying that RG3 is not good at it?” Le Batard asked. “I would have thought that his voice is so distinctive and his energy is so distinctive that nobody would have much of an issue with his enthusiasm with what it is that we were watching.”
Ryan noted this isn’t what he believes, but the common talking point online is that Robert Griffin III’s energy feels inauthentic. He noted that last week, Griffin shouted “It’s an orgy in the end zone!” on a Michigan touchdown and then asked what other broadcaster is delivering a moment like that.
Le Batard said that is why Griffin made such a big impression last night. He found a way to stand out by not adhering strictly to what is in his job description.
“Television is not about what you say. Can you do the flash paper things?”
