Jon Gruden wants the play-by-play chair, not just a cameo. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach made his desire explicit on the Ira Kaufman Podcast.
What We Know: Gruden explicitly named play-by-play as his desired role during his podcast appearance. He spent nine years as a broadcaster, serving as ESPN’s Monday Night Football color analyst from 2009 through 2017. Gene Deckerhoff’s radio seat recently opened, sparking speculation around Tampa. However, the organization recently named Tony Castricone to the vacant position. When asked about Deckerhoff and his legacy in Tampa Bay, Gruden, who currently works as a Barstool Sports contributor, hinted he’d like a shot on the call in the booth.
What They Said: Barstool Sports’ Jon Gruden on his desire to be a play-by-play announcer: “I like to have Gene’s [Deckerhoff] old job. That’s the job I want. I was a broadcaster for nine years. Hell’s Bells. I want to be play-by-play. Frank Gifford, he transitioned into the play-by-play role. I would like to transition. I had nine years of watching these guys — [Mike] Tirico. And I’d like to give that a shot, man.”
What Remains Unclear: Whether or not any network would welcome Gruden to a shot at calling a play-by-play event is unknown. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have not commented on the matter if Gruden could be included in the coverage of their pre-season slate on local television.
What It Means: Jon Gruden’s renaissance in sports media has been fantastic. Navigating new ways that football fans consume content and engaging through the megaphone that is Barstool Sports. Whether or not any network would consider Gruden is debatable, even in a one-off situation. However, in an era of alt-casts there could be a lane for Gruden to make the attempt. It would be must see TV to see Gruden’s energy for the sport return on full display if any network would take the chance.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.