FS1 recently announced that former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman would succeed Shannon Sharpe as a periodic co-debater alongside Skip Bayless on Undisputed. The move reminded me of the many memorable quotes that Sherman blessed microphones and cameras with throughout his illustrious and vociferous football career.
Who could forget his post 2014 NFC Championship Game diatribe in the face of Erin Andrews when he spouted, “When you try me with a sorry receiver like (Michael) Crabtree, that’s the result you’re going to get. Don’t you ever talk about me!”
Often and unfairly labeled, the intelligent and articulate Sherman once commented, “I saw a hockey game where they threw the puck aside and just started fighting. I saw that, and I’m like, ‘So I’m the thug?’”
Surely there is a plethora of other Sherman gems, but one of my favorites is as follows. When asked about those who criticize him, Sherman said, “Everybody is a critic, everybody has a voice, everybody can reach you. Everybody is an expert and that’s what makes it fun.”
Sherman’s words ring true when choosing the best in the business at television play by play and color commentary. Everyone is a critic and everyone has their favorite voices. The following are my choices for the current signature national network voices for MLB, the NFL, NBA, and NHL.
A signature voice may not be the most talented announcer or analyst, but rather, the voice that I most associate with that particular sport today. Here goes.
Baseball Bigwigs
With all due respect to Joe Buck, Jon Sciambi, and Kenny Albert, all excellent baseball announcers, the signature voice of Major League Baseball is still that of Bob Costas. It is simply a treat to hear Costas on MLB Network and TBS games.
Despite his status as an all-time great in broadcasting, when I listen to Costas, I still hear that joy, wonder, and pure anticipation of what might happen next in the game. His on-air stances regarding steroid use are legendary, and for decades now, he has been a sentinel of baseball and its history.
We all know that Costas can do it all, from talk shows to hosting the Olympics to providing insight in documentaries to debating Hall of Fame votes on MLB Network, but when he does play by play, his voice remains a subtle slice of poetry, reflective of baseball itself.
Joining Costas as my signature baseball analyst is Ron Darling. His work for SNY on Mets’ broadcasts and nationally on TBS is outstanding. Darling uses his vast experience as a longtime MLB pitcher giving viewers insight that nearly matches that of the late, and very great Tim McCarver.
As a player and broadcaster, Darling has been unafraid to give his opinion on players or issues, for example, this infamous quote on a possible baseball labor shutdown, “Let me get this straight. The owners are about to shut down baseball when it’s more prosperous than it’s ever been, and the players are the ones who have to get their urine tested?”
In TBS’s often uneven pairing of announcers and analysts, Darling reigns supreme regardless of his broadcast partner or game assignment.
Basketball’s Best
The NBA is defined by superstars, talent, and power. ESPN and ABC’s Mike Breen has all of that and has become the voice synonymous with pro hoops.
Breen’s “double bang” calls have become legendary, a moniker that can also be applied to the man himself as he was awarded the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Curt Gowdy Award in 2021. Breen has excelled with a host of loquacious analysts including Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson.
For the upcoming NBA season, Breen will be joined by Doc Rivers, Lisa Salters, and Doris Burke, which leads us to my signature NBA analyst. Doris Burke’s thoughtful, in-depth, and smooth commentary has ensconced her as the premiere color analyst in basketball.
Burke can play the analytical, whiteboard, matchup game with anyone, but it is her ability to delve more deeply that makes her great. During the 2023 NBA Playoffs, she not only provided statistical and tactical insight, but she went beyond the surface discussing the innate culture of the Miami Heat and the disrespect for Nikola Jokic as a player.
Burke’s vision, focus on detail, and Pat Summerall-esque understated style is a breath of fresh air in the often far too loud world of basketball bombast.
Football’s Finest
Choosing the NFL’s signature voice is about as easy as blocking Aaron Donald. With the likes of Kevin Burkhardt, Al Michaels, Greg Gumbel, and Ian Eagle still holding down jobs, the choice is challenging, or is it?
Honestly, love him or hate him, the voice that truly defines the shield is Joe Buck. Now on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, Buck’s preparation, dramatic tones, and bent toward humor when appropriate set him apart from a talented list of contenders.
Unlike the play by play slot, the battle for signature NFL analyst is simply a three-man race. Take your pick: NBC’s Cris Collinsworth, MNF’s Troy Aikman, or CBS’s Tony Romo. If I could build the perfect sport-coated beast, I would take a little from each member of this trio.
From Collinsworth, it would be the utter candor that he brings to the airwaves, from Aikman, the command of the game and his incredibly forceful voice intonations, and from Romo, the wise guy humor combined with his strategic insight. If I have to pick one NFL analyst, it is Aikman. Just hearing his voice signals that I am about to be watching a big game.
Hockey Heroes
Like the NFL, the NHL is blessed with many great play by play announcers. ESPN’s John Buccigross absolutely loves the game, and it shows in his work. Dave Pasch is versatile and excellent.
Bob Wischusen does an outstanding job calling the shots and leaving room for his analysts, and Steve Levy’s ultra cool repartee has become his trademark.
Still, one broadcaster stands alone as the signature voice of the NHL. Listening to Sean McDonough call an NHL game is like watching Bobby Orr rev up his skates behind his own net and rush up ice. It is like Guy LaFleur’s hair flowing through the old Forum in Montreal. It is like seeing Dominik Hasek flipflop in the crease stopping pucks at will.
With his versatility and multisport acumen and resume, you could make the case that Sean McDonough is the best sports play by play announcer ever. Yes, I said ever. From World Series to major bowl games to Monday Night Football, name an announcer who has more seamlessly moved from big time sport to big time sport.
There are some excellent names swimming in the NHL network analyst pool, from Ray Ferraro to Brian Boucher to P.K. Subban to Kevin Weekes to Eddie Olczyk.
Let’s not forget, however, that we are talking about the signature voice of NHL hockey analysts, that voice that just oozes backchecking, power plays, and slap shots. Olczyk is close, but the signature voice of the NHL remains ESPN’s Barry Melrose.
Melrose is the Hugh Hefner, Elvis Presley, and Bruce Springsteen of hockey, equal parts style, flash, and old school grit. His mullet, goatee, and wide array of glitzy suits are merely the icing on a cake that is chock full of indisputable hockey knowledge and passion.
So, there you have it, my signature sports voices, the defining broadcast booth personalities. In a future column, we’ll shift the focus to studio analysts, so get ready, Richard Sherman.
