Sports on television...

[bspooky9]

I don't know if this is in the proper forum, so please move to the proper one if applicable, but this is something I'd like to know...

Who is/are your favorite studio person/people/PBP announcers/color people on a sports show, or who is one/are some you remember?

One I grew up around is Jim Nantz, who was the studio man on college football on CBS for four seasons from 1985 through 1988. For Jim's first season only, Pat Haden was with him in the studio, then Jim became solo for the 1986 season, before having Ara Parseghian with him in the 1987 season (not on all broadcasts) and apparently all of 1988. He left this to become a PBP on college football starting in 1989, and from thenceforth, did a good many other things for CBS (college hoops, golf, the NFL), and now in 2017 is the lead PBP on CBS' NFL coverage (Tony Romo being his color man).

This is Jim Nantz from 1986 on college football.

 

[Swami]

In the UK very few of our truly commentators are still around, Peter Allis still commentates on golf, but Murray Walker has been retired now since 2001, and so many of their great contemporaries have passed away (Bill McLaren, Ted Lowe, Dan Maskell, Brian Moore).

Very few studio presenters or commentators today have the sheer gravitas/authority that those named above had.

Swami

 

[bspooky9]

In the UK very few of our truly commentators are still around, Peter Allis still commentates on golf, but Murray Walker has been retired now since 2001, and so many of their great contemporaries have passed away (Bill McLaren, Ted Lowe, Dan Maskell, Brian Moore).

Very few studio presenters or commentators today have the sheer gravitas/authority that those named above had.

Swami

Interesting! Others I grew up around were Brent Musburger on NFL coverage on CBS (studio man, The NFL Today; now retired after a long career with ESPN and ABC, mostly as a college football PBP), and Bob Costas on NBC (who, IIRC, did at least as many things as Jim Nantz did [NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. as a PBP, and IINM, as a studio man]).

 

[Englishboy]

In the UK very few of our truly commentators are still around, Peter Allis still commentates on golf, but Murray Walker has been retired now since 2001, and so many of their great contemporaries have passed away (Bill McLaren, Ted Lowe, Dan Maskell, Brian Moore).

Very few studio presenters or commentators today have the sheer gravitas/authority that those named above had.

Swami

I would also add boxing's Harry Carpenter and the truly legendary racing commentator, Peter O'Sullevan to this list.

 

[Swami]

I would also add boxing's Harry Carpenter and the truly legendary racing commentator, Peter O'Sullevan to this list.

Yes, thanks for adding them to the list. I had accidentally omitted them.

Again, they were class acts.

Swami

 

[Angela Chilling]

I think there are loads of great commentator and studio presenters around.

In football, Geoff Stelling is as good as, if not better, than any presenter in previous years. Jonathan Pearce is one of the best football commentators around.

In athletics, Steve Cram is nothing short of being a brilliant commentator, easily as good as those that did the job 20 years ago.

In tennis, I think Tim Henman is excellent, even though I really disliked him as a player.

In gymnastics, Matt Baker always impresses.

I really like Adrian Moorhouse and Andrew Jameson when they commentate on swimming and Mark Foster is always entertaining and insightful when he's a pundit.

The original question about who is my favourite, it has to be Geoff Stelling.

 

[bspooky9]

Three PBP/color teams I grew up around:

--Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola on NBC MLB coverage (Garagiola being deceased; Scully still living, albeit retired; screencap captured from St. Louis Cardinals Greatest Games of Busch Stadium DVD [Game 5 of 1985 NLCS])

--Pat Summerall and John Madden on CBS' NFL coverage in the NFC days (they were also on Fox NFL coverage; Fox has been with the NFC from that network's debut with the NFL; as with the other pairing I mentioned, Summerall is deceased, while John Madden is still living, but, IIRC, retired; this cap of them is captured from the Chicago Bears' 1985 12 Greatest Games DVD release [that one is long out-of-print])

--Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen on NBC's NFL coverage in the 80s (although they did other things besides, like the Rose Bowl every New Year's Day; this shot of them is captured from a DVD I have of the 1981 game; Enberg is still living, but retired, while Olsen is deceased)

And here are Brent Musburger and Irv Cross on The NFL Today on CBS (this also from the NFC days)