Troy Aikman is regarded as one of the best analysts in sports, but the former NFL star said his rise in the profession didn’t happen overnight.
In fact, he said it took many years “to really have a feel” for doing broadcasts.
The ESPN Monday Night Football analyst told the Mad Dog’s Daily Bite podcast this week that being a good broadcaster involves more than just doing a good job himself.
“I would say it took probably 15-plus years for me as a broadcaster to really have a feel for the broadcast itself, and be able to walk out and know whether or not we did a good job as a team,” Aikman said.
“In football, you know because of the scoreboard and even that doesn’t tell the entire story. In broadcasting, it takes some time to really understand all that goes into that and all that goes into a good broadcast. It’s not just if I’m good. … There’s so much that happens in the truck as well.”
As a player, Aikman had the final score to tell him how he had performed during a game. There’s no feedback like that for broadcasters.
“When you walk out of the booth because there isn’t a scoreboard, you don’t really know,” Aikman said. “Was it good or was it not good? Was it good enough? There’s a lot of questions that run through your mind and I think every athlete that has gone into broadcasting experiences that.”
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.