25 Greatest Sports activities Broadcasters of All Time
Broadcasting a sporting event is one of those jobs that’s more important than most people make it out to be. Announcers ingrain themselves in the event in a way that ties their voice and spirit to the biggest iconic moments in history.
Great sports broadcasters know when to yell and when to shut up and let the athletes’ play do the talking. From national broadcasters to local legends, these incredible media members paint a picture of what’s happening on the field.
1. Al Michaels
Al Michaels’ voice sounds like a sage grandfather’s, a kind soul who’s telling tales by the campfire. Michaels knows how to hype up a game, when to let his color commentator speak, and how to always say the perfect thing at the ideal time in a broadcast.
Football fans will always cherish Michaels’ commentary. His best years were spent on NBC alongside Cris Collinsworth on Sunday Night Football. Michaels and Collinsworth created a really easy rapport that was hard for other networks to emulate.
2. Marv Albert
Marv Albert got the benefit of announcing most of Michael Jordan’s NBA Finals wins, but New Yorkers knew how special he was back during the 1970s. Albert’s signature “Yes!” was honed on Knicks broadcasts for decades.
Albert’s simplicity and radio-style voice easily translated to television and helped make him the best basketball announcer of all time. Even after he was past his prime, Albert’s announcing felt like a needed part of NBA on TNT telecasts.
3. Vin Scully
Vin Scully might be the only local broadcaster who became just as famous as a national one. Scully’s time with the Los Angeles Dodgers made every baseball game feel special in Southern California.
Scully’s stories about baseball history and his own life during boring games made even the most uninspired inning brighter. He never made himself bigger than the baseball players, though, managing to mix anecdotes with the on-field action in a beautifully eloquent style.
4. John Madden
John Madden’s brilliant understanding of football revolutionized the way color commentators broadcasted games. Madden would draw on the telestrator with keen insights about the game before saying something hilarious to disarm the audience.
Most football fans came to know him as the namesake for the Madden video game series. There’s a huge reason he received such an honor: not many football people could commentate and entertain simultaneously like John Madden.
5. Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell is credited with turning sports broadcasters into celebrities. Cosell mainly announced football and boxing, and his authenticity behind the microphone showed that he understood his influence on the events he was narrating.
Cosell was one of the original broadcasters for Monday Night Football. This role blazed a trail that was hard for future commentators to follow. Cosell’s pioneering skills on the microphone would surely still resonate with modern audiences today.
6. Jim McKay
Jim McKay’s broadcasting made sports for every fan feel like friends in a coffee shop sharing a mocha. McKay’s constant presence on ABC allowed several different generations of viewers to tune in for Wide World of Sports.
McKay kept the focus on the athletes and didn’t overtalk, a skill that allowed him to masterfully maneuver tragic situations in real time. He was the calming voice everyone needed when the Black September terrorist group committed an attack during the 1972 Olympics.
7. Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley’s outspoken, unfiltered analysis of the NBA became appointment viewing two decades ago and remains an unforgettable part of basketball viewing today. The NBA on TNT‘s Inside the NBA incorporates the audience into the show with fun banter and chaotic mirth.
Sir Charles is just as likely to make fun of a fan’s weight as he is to describe a pick and roll, but it’s this unique approach that makes him legendary. No matter how many fans might get sick of Barkley’s biased analysis, he doesn’t know how to satisfy anybody but himself!
8. Jack Buck
Jack Buck may be known more for being Joe Buck’s father nowadays, but his MLB announcing during the 1960s through the 1980s gave fans some of the best broadcasting ever. Buck punctuated many of the St. Louis Cardinals’ best moments!
On a national level, Buck elevated his announcing to reach wider audiences during the World Series. Unlike his son, Jack Buck really understood how to heighten a moment in history, like when Kirk Gibson hit a walk-off home run in the 1988 World Series.
9. Chick Hearn
Chick Hearn is responsible for many of the most famous sayings in basketball, from inventing the term “finger roll” to calling the free throw line the “charity stripe.” He lent his voice to every incredible Los Angeles Lakers moment for over 40 years.
Hearn received so much appreciation from the Lakers and their fans that supporters of the team can visit a statue of him in front of the Crypto.com Arena. He was embedded in the fabric of the city, but he always kept a distance from the action on the court.
10. Johnny Most
Johnny Most blurred the line between fan and broadcaster while announcing Boston Celtics games, but New Englanders certainly appreciated his love for the franchise. His raspy voice and biased commentating sucked viewers in and created the illusion of a crazy uncle announcing the games!
Most’s passion was always on full display, most famously after John Havlicek cinched the 1965 Eastern Division Finals. Most couldn’t contain himself, simply screaming, “Havlicek stole the ball!” Sometimes, the best call is an authentic blaring of emotions.
11. Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson’s college football broadcasting is as ingrained in the minds of fans of the sport as any touchdown or fumble. Jackson’s voice added a classic element to games that heightened the moment but didn’t overwhelm the fans.
Outside of college football, Jackson tried his hand at NBA basketball and Major League Baseball. Older viewers of these sports might remember his voice as a fleeting background track to games from the 1970s.
12. Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz is the type of announcer who just does his job, acts like a professional, and litters the sports world with great calls. Nantz has been a fixture of college basketball, NFL football, and PGA golf since the 1990s.
Pairing him with Tony Romo has been a stroke of genius on CBS. Nantz sometimes has to reel Romo’s excitement in with a calming phrase of a rebuttal, showing the pair’s entertaining chemistry.
13. Don Cherry
What made Don Cherry’s commentating career flourish also put it out for good. Cherry makes claims that are more funny than factual, and while this works with ice hockey, it doesn’t when talking about world issues.
Still, Cherry’s legacy remains as one of the sport’s most entertaining media members. His wardrobe represented a walking dress code violation but in a good way! Hockey often needs a little more flair.
14. Chris Berman
Chris Berman’s Sunday night highlight montages were as synonymous with football season as the changing color of the leaves on an autumn day. He often punctuates a touchdown run with his iconic “He could go all the way!” phrasing.
Berman also executes interview segments well by engaging with players and centering them rather than himself. He combined his wit with Tom Jackson to make ESPN a great place for football highlights.
15. Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott’s bold commentary on ESPN opened the doors for so many other Black announcers in the decades after his hiring. Scott was always as cool as the other side of the pillow and felt like one of the guys you’d enjoy a beer with during a game.
Scott’s shocking death from cancer in 2015 resulted in fans celebrating his enormous legacy in the broadcasting world. His ESPY Awards speech shortly before his passing demonstrated his courage and candor.
16. Ernie Johnson
Ernie Johnson has one of the toughest jobs in sports broadcasting. Ensuring Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley don’t get too absurd on Inside the NBA would make many hosts anxious, but Elevator Ernie is often the coolest person on the set!
Johnson doesn’t roll over and let the energy of his analysts overwhelm him or the viewer, and his candor when sharing his personal life connects viewers to his kindness.
17. Scott Van Pelt
Scott Van Pelt has survived the era of hot takes on ESPN to create a measured, insightful postgame show each evening as one of SportsCenter’s best anchors. The network’s decision to give Van Pelt a solo hour with no other host demonstrates their trust in him.
Van Pelt never has to say something outlandish or resort to cheap tactics for views. He tries to give an equal spotlight to every team and player even when other ESPN commentators don’t do the same.
18. Chris Fowler
Chris Fowler’s wildly different sports of expertise (college football and tennis) demonstrate his talent. He continues to get promotions deep into his ESPN career, which started in 1986.
Fowler’s understanding of the rules, different players’ careers, and dedication to each event he broadcasts make him one of the most underrated in the world. Anytime ESPN needs a host for a random event like the X-Games or a documentary series on ESPN Classic, Fowler often gets tabbed for the job.
19. Mike Breen
Mike Breen has broadcasted the NBA Finals for nearly 20 seasons in a row and, in the process, has tied his voice to some of the best players in basketball history. Breen’s iconic “BANG!” call after a big three-point shot changed the way fans think of huge game-winners in the playoffs.
For over a decade, Breen paired with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson on ESPN broadcasts. With the network going in a different direction with color commentators, Breen symbolizes a stable presence in the booth.
20. Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan’s enthusiastic nature might not jive with every sports fan, but he can make even the most boring sporting event entertaining. A sports announcer’s main job is to affirm the importance of what’s happening on the field, and nobody respects these big moments like Harlan.
Harlan not only yells louder than the action on the field, but his palpable energy seeps through the screen. He works equally well in football and basketball.
21. Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger’s commentary always makes football and basketball better, even when he’s making slightly over-the-top thirst comments about players’ girlfriends. Musburger’s honesty and easy tone possessed a nostalgic twinge even back before his career was decades long.
Musburger possesses one of the most versatile resumes in sports broadcasting. He used to announce NBA basketball before moving almost exclusively to college football in his senior years.
22. Bob Costas
Bob Costas has become underrated in a way, probably because so many people detest his wordy monologues during games. Costas handles a variety of sports well, such as basketball, baseball, and the Olympics.
Fans never know when Costas is going to flat-out roast a player with an unhinged comment about their abilities! His monotonous, blunt delivery can either elicit a laugh or a groan, depending on the viewer.
23. John McEnroe
John McEnroe was always meant to be a broadcaster after a career on the tennis court where he ran his mouth as much as he hit service aces. McEnroe gives surprisingly stable analysis and even sometimes pokes fun at his temper.
He combines with Chris Fowler on ESPN to foster a fun, exciting broadcast of tournaments like the Australian Open and U.S. Open. McEnroe continues to represent American tennis with his version of journalistic integrity.
24. Kevin Calabro
Kevin Calabro currently broadcasts basketball games for the Portland Trail Blazers, but his time with the Seattle SuperSonics is where he formed his legend. Calabro’s intensity and passion behind the microphone paired insanely well with the excitement of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp’s greatness to make Sonics’ basketball so memorable.
Calabro staying in the Pacific Northwest allows basketball fans familiar with his career to enjoy his presence on Root Sports.
25. Mina Kimes
Mina Kimes deserves to be mentioned with the greats of sports broadcasting despite being early in her career. In a field usually composed of white men, Kimes inspires women to pursue a love for football.
Kimes’ analytical breakdowns of the game on social media look like something from a coach’s handbook! She keeps an even-keeled, non-biased viewpoint, even while rooting for her hometown Seattle Seahawks.
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