A recent trend in the television play-by-play and analyst world should be welcomed by each and every announcer out there. Networks are dishing out millions of hopes of their broadcasts having the gravitas expected from big games and big moments.
That’s a perfectly well-intentioned idea. It makes logical sense that outlets like CBS Sports, NBC Sports, FOX Sports, and ESPN want to have high-quality announcers for their biggest moments.
But at the same time, are those same outlets getting the best bang for their buck when it comes to salaries like Tony Romo ($18 million), Troy Aikman ($18 million), Joe Buck ($12.5 million), Cris Collinsworth ($12.5 million), and Jim Nantz ($10.5 million)?
As someone with quite a bit of time under my belt looking through the biggest and best sports radio station in America on a daily basis, would you be surprised to hear that Nantz, Romo, and Collinsworth aren’t exactly sports radio regulars? Probably not. But should you be surprised? Shouldn’t Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and the NFL on CBS want these folks doing sports radio hits around the nation, especially in the markets where the teams playing in their properties are located?
To their credit, Aikman is a weekly guest during the season on The Ticket in Dallas, and Buck is a weekly guest on The Michael Kay Show, and isn’t shy about appearing on a station where the MNF competitors are.
But Romo? What’s he doing on a Thursday or a Friday that he can’t hop on 810 WHB in Kansas City or 1010 XL in Jacksonville to chat about the game he’s doing that weekend? Is he too busy preparing for the game? I think we all know that isn’t the case.
Collinsworth not only has his gig with Sunday Night Football, but should have a vested interest in getting Pro Football Focus in front of more fans. And yet, I rarely hear him on sports radio outside of The Dan Patrick Show.
When Tom Brady takes over the top FOX booth, will he be more of the Romo or Aikman type? My money is on a Romo-esque schedule where you’ll rarely hear Brady on a local sports station.
So why don’t networks expect more out of their top-flight analysts, rather than just showing up on Sunday or on Thanksgiving? Why wouldn’t they want their talent on every local and national radio show they can get them on? It only benefits their products, unless you’re afraid your analyst is going to say something to land them in hot water. And if that concern is in the back of your mind, wouldn’t you rather have that instance happen during a local sports radio appearance in say Milwaukee rather than on the biggest American TV properties?
Additionally, why aren’t the networks pounding the table for their analysts to be featured in video games? That isn’t just NFL-specific. With a new College Football 25 game upcoming from EA Sports, shouldn’t ESPN want Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and the entire College GameDay crew in the game? Shouldn’t FOX Sports want the Big Noon Kickoff cast, plus Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft in the game?
Video games are the last great frontier for announcers. The video game industry, in 2023, brought in $365 billion in revenue, more than the music and movie industries combined. EA Sports brings in tens of millions of dollars with its Madden franchise and will see a huge groundswell for the first College Football game in a decade.
I just don’t see how the networks — who have invested tens of millions of dollars in their top broadcast teams — can just be ok with their analysts showing up on Sundays and that’s it. Even a weekly spot on SportsCenter, Good Morning America, The Today Show, or as a guest judge on some reality show or a cameo on a cop drama should be the bare minimum for what’s being shelled out for these salaries.
And yet, it appears that the status quo is just a-ok. You would be dumbfounded if the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t use Patrick Mahomes in its marketing materials, and you’d be bewildered to see LeBron James never get an endorsement deal.
And yet, after investments that rival players’ salaries, and in many cases eclipse them, I just can’t seem to wrap my head around the complete lack of promotion and use of these big-time personalities and well-known figures in their stables.
At a time when budgets are being cut, jobs are being slashed left and right, and you’re pinching every penny, it seems unjustified to not get a little more bang for your buck from high-profile talent in 2024.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
