Jason Benetti is reportedly adding NBA games to his workload. NBC’s top MLB voice will call select league and playoff games this season, according to a report by Front Office Sports.
What We Know: Benetti became NBC’s lead Sunday Night Baseball voice this year while remaining the Detroit Tigers’ play-by-play announcer. He’ll now add NBA duties according to FOS, calling 10 to 20 regular-season and playoff games. He won’t replace anyone; instead, he joins Mike Tirico, Noah Eagle, Terry Gannon, and Michael Grady. Benetti previously worked in college basketball for FOX Sports, ESPN, and various local and college broadcasts.
What’s At Stake: When NBC brought over Benetti from FOX Sports, he’s impressed with his unique presentation for a national audience. Now, with the NBA results of last year behind them, NBC Sports is looking to add onto the success. Benetti is prime to take advantage of the opportunity.
What Remains Unclear: It’s unclear exactly which games Benetti will call beyond the 10-to-20 estimate. How the added work with the NBA affects other assignments is still unknown.
What It Means: Benetti’s expanding role signals growing crossover among top sports broadcasters. NBC is betting his versatility and familiarity with the audience will draw more viewers. With the season just months away, Benetti is primed to become one of the bigger voices in sports with a background in baseball but also work in college football, basketball, and soon to come NBA.
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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.