One of the more obvious annoyances within the Sports media world, is Chris Berman’s nickname schtick. People call him out on it all the time, but when Berman was added to ESPN’s coverage of the Masters last year, he chose to keep it in his arsenal. And according to Neil Best at Newsday, he’s not going to be changing anytime soon….
“But that doesn’t mean it’s a Caddyshack or even Tin Cup, which is a great film. Everything is treated with respect. It’s within the moment of golf. There will be a few nicknames. But it’s while they’re lining up a putt. It’s not distracting. You won’t hear it as the ball is halfway to the cup.
“Will you hear Ground Control to David Toms? You hear it once a year, not five times a year, once a year. Will you hear me intro Roger as Chocolate Maltbie? Sure. But once. Diet Koch? Sure, when it’s in the spirit of what I’ve done in my career for 30 years. Nothing has changed.
“In golf, it’s less. But pull up a chair and enjoy the hour or half hour or three hours you can spend with us because we make it enjoyable that a couple of friends might be talking about something that you the viewer and Roger and I and everyone on the course care about. That’s all.”
While it bothers me as much as the next person, he does sort of have a point. It can’t be easy to fill three hours of airtime, and if part of that time is spent lightheartedly….I don’t really have a problem with it. It’s when it becomes forced that I start to bang my head on the wall. Hopefully Berman can keep it to a dull roar at Bethpage this year.
Chris Berman says detractors are ‘missing the point’ (Newsday)
