4. Assign Jim Nantz to call more regular season college basketball games
We like Jim Nantz, but it seems rather strange that he calls one or two regular college basketball games before heading into the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament. Yes, his NFL schedule has a lot to do with that, but come February, Jim goes to the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing while college basketball games are played. Since we’re calling the shots here, we’d move Nantz to college basketball exclusively once his NFL assignments are done.
This is an unusual situation compared to any other sport. Imagine Al Michaels not calling NFL games until the playoffs or Mike Breen only stepping in at the Conference Finals. As the voice of the NCAA Tournament, college basketball fans should hear Jim Nantz more often during the regular season. With the top announcer absent, it gives the impression that the regular season games don’t mean much of anything.
It’s not as if CBS does not have competent golf announcers who could take Jim’s place while he’s calling basketball. In fact, Bill Macatee substituted for Nantz on the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina this past weekend.
Maybe there’s a happy medium where Nantz could call Pebble Beach which is one of the PGA Tour’s big events in the winter and then college basketball afterwards.
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About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.