NFL
Fantasy JAM Best Announcer Tournament Region 1
By: Fish and Chad
Sportscenter Anchors
2016 will find the United States wading through all the issues and electing a new President. So we at FantasyJAM thought we would get in on the act and through your votes, answer some of sports most pressing questions. In the month of January you voted to find out which was the greatest Super Bowl of all time, now it’s time to find out who you think the best announcer of all time is.
We have broken it down into four regions, and each region will get a column dedicated to it to give you a little more information on the announcers in the region.
Since liking a certain announcer is purely a subjective thing, these announcers are not ranked in any way and the match-ups were made to make the best possible outcomes in each region.
Region number one is ESPN Anchors. The worldwide leader has become synonymous with sports themselves, and the relationships we have developed with their anchors have become personal. It is almost like when you put on the 11 O’clock Sportscenter on, it is a friend who is delivering the news, scores and highlights. Now some of these anchors no longer work for ESPN, but that was where they gained their largest fame.
The first match-up is a pairing of two guys who were joined at the hip. You couldn’t think of one, without immediately thinking of the other. These two became so popular they named the episodes of Sportscenter they anchored, The Big Show. That’s right, I am talking about Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick.
While some find Olbermann condescending and arrogant, the truth is, he is a brilliant person. He is a baseball historian, and has been a major part of the sports scene for more than 30 years. He does have his eccentricities, but at the same time, there are very few who know sports on the level that Keith does.
One of those that do, is Dan Patrick. He left ESPN to find his own voice and was able to do so on his own Radio Show. He is also valued enough, that NBC brought him on board to host Sunday Night Football and he is also the host of Sports Jeopardy. While his approach is different than that of Olbermann, the results are very much the same.
Together they were a formidable pair, now we will find which one of them drove the bus.
The next pairing puts two of the most popular anchors up against one another as Craig Kilborn faces off against Stuart Scott.
Kilborn brought his irreverent sense of humor to sports television and made his episodes must-see TV, as he was able to mix the urgency of sports with the humor of everyday life.
Meanwhile, Stu Scott, was (to steal one of his own sayings), as cool as the other side of the pillow. The master of bringing street cred to sports, Stu made you feel you were one of the in-crowd, no matter who you were. Although he was taken from us far too soon, his legacy as both an announcer and a human being are in good hands.
Next up sees two old timers doing battle, as 20+ year ESPN vet Linda Cohn has the tough task of squaring off with ESPN original Chris Berman.
Cohn was hired back in 1992 and was one of the first women ever to be a full time anchor on a sports show. Her passion for the business, and hockey, really shines through as she delivers the news in a way only she can.
Berman was one of the Bristol originals, and has made a name for himself as one of the mainstays at ESPN. His nicknames like Bert Be-Home-Blyleven or Kevin Large-Mouth Bass are commonplace now, and one of his most recognizable signatures.
Finally it’s a battle of two of my favorites, Scott Van Pelt and Rich Eisen. I speak from personal experience when I say there may not be a nicer or more genuine guy on the entire Bristol Campus than SVP. He mixes humor with knowledge and if you have ever listened to his radio show, you know that there may not be a better college hoops or golf guy than SVP.
Eisen was teamed up with Stuart Scott for years, and were the next generation of Olbermann and Patrick. Eisen’s smooth style was a perfect complement to the way Stu handled his business. He has since moved on to the NFL Network, but his amazing style learned from ESPN is still with him.
So these are the eight ESPN anchors that have been chosen after much debate to represent the four letter network. Voting will begin after the February 4th episode of FantasyJAM and be sure to tune in EVERY THURSDAY at 8p est (5p pst) on WBAD.NET/Rock to hear us give the results and debate the merits of each entry, and head over to Twitter (@SportsJAMChad & @thefish1969) or Facebook (facebook.com/Fantasy_JAM) to vote on your favorite. Miss us LIVE no sweat we are replayed EVERY Friday on Nuts And Bolts Sports 7pm est
Up next, Region 2 The Legends
