Dex, our resident SBN blogger for the Padres, also happens to work for the Sports Media Challenge and they were conducting a survey of the most influential sportscasters.
The final list came in as so:
- Marv Albert
- Bob Costas
- Peter Gammons
- Jon Miller
- Gus Johnson
- Al Michaels
- Dan Patrick
- Mike Tirico
- Dick Enberg
- Chris Fowler
I actually submitted my own list here:
- Steve Stone
- Mike Emrick (the best hockey announcer around)
- Al Michaels
- Peter Gammons
- Gary Thorne
- Harry Neale
- Ron MacLean (Hockey Night in Canada host)
- Jon Miller
- Bob Costas
- Tom Jackson
Obviously you can't get more subjective than judging announcers. I mean, an announcer's voice can immediately turn someone off before you even listen to the content of what they're saying. At the same time, most people love Al Michaels because he's knowledgeable and does a fantastic job with whatever he happens to be covering. You're also swayed by whatever sport you happen to love. My list was dominated by hockey and baseball folks because that's what I spend the most time watching.
Oh and just so you know, I submitted my list before Dex told us that the list is supposed to made up of influential announcers and not just "the best". I probably would've altered mine a bit and added someone like Keith Jackson, but I'll just keep it to what it is. The other thing is, regional announcers weren't under consideration so I couldn't put my true number one on there right now, which would be Ken Korach. Obviously Bill King would've been on the list as well.
Steve Stone is one of the best announcers in all of sports. He's one of the few "old school" guys who understands what Billy Beane is all about rather than spewing constant nonsense. I wish he got more of a chance to be showcased rather than often being restricted to ESPN day games in the middle of a work week.
And Mike Emrick has some of the best "action" verbs you'll ever hear. Want to hear how a defenseman "pitchforked" the puck our of the zone or how a forward "pasted" another guy into the boards? Emrick is the man. He calls the games like he is on radio which is just brilliant especially for a sport like hockey that doesn't lend itself to radio. Yet he works TV all the time. I love "Doc" Emrick.
If you're into baseball, how can you not love Peter Gammons? Sure he's in love with the Red Sox, but he also has the ability to openly show his admiration for other organizations in baseball including teams that do things as differently as the Angels and A's.
I've always been a Tom Jackson fan and I miss the true NFL Primetime of yesteryear. Jackson always seems to give insight to a play more than many. Ron Jaworski is another that breaks down football like no one's business. And I actually like Chris Berman. Not the guy who calls baseball games (he's not very good at that), but the one in the studio with Tom Jackson calling highlights. That's when Berman's schtick is at its best.
So, what national announcers make your list? We'll go by best announcers and not the most influential since that's what I submitted.
