Veteran play-by-play broadcaster Dave Pasch has a new deal to remain at ESPN.
That news was first reported by Kyle Koster at The Big Lead this morning. ESPN confirmed the report a few hours later. In a departure from their usual procedure, they did so not with their own press release but with a video starring Pasch’s longtime foil, Bill Walton.
And not just any video starring Bill Walton. It’s instead, as somehow befits Walton’s brand, an extended stream-of-consciousness interpretive monologue.
ESPN reaches a multi-year extension with veteran play-by-play voice @DavePasch
And a certain longtime colleague seems excited about the news…
More via @TheBigLead: https://t.co/u7jqKXsQvx | @BillWalton pic.twitter.com/Gt7i1b7KxY
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 3, 2022
It’s good to have a brand. Walton drives some viewers crazy, and to be sure, if he were calling every single game for your team, that could potentially get old. But he brings a lot of personality and insight, and Pasch does tremendous work when paired with Walton.
From The Big Lead piece, on Pasch’s new deal:
Dave Pasch has agreed to a multi-year extension with ESPN, The Big Lead has learned. Pasch, who has been with the network since 2003, is a staple on NBA, college basketball and college football broadcasts, and will be on the call for Game 3 of the Milwaukee Bucks-Boston Celtics Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday afternoon.
“Nothing’s guaranteed and there are no givens,” Pasch told TBL. “You’re only as good as your last broadcast. So when a company like ESPN is interested in retaining your services, whether you’ve been there for a month or almost two decades, which is the case for me, I’m grateful and don’t take it for granted. I know that sounds like a clichè stock answer, but it’s true. When you get a chance to do high-level games and they’re saying, ‘Hey, we want you to do this for more years to come,’ it’s nice to be wanted.”
Pasch covers a lot of ground, and does it all very well. He’s not a showy broadcaster, but he’s not bland or boring, either. He keeps things moving, is fun and loose with partners like Walton, and still almost always keeps the action at the forefront of the broadcast. That’s really all viewers can ask for.
