This week, we’re celebrating the highs, the lows, the best, and the worst of the year with The Awfulies.
As we’ve done for the past four years, the Awful Announcing staff has cast its votes for who we think should take home the coveted golden microphone in a wide variety of categories across the sports media industry.
Keep an eye on the category and winner reveals throughout the week. And be sure to let us know who your pick would have been for the winners, as we examine the best media personalities of 2025.
The 2025 Awfulies continue with the people who give game broadcasts the color, insight, flavor, and context that enrich the viewing experience. The experts who provide information, analysis, and appreciation of the sport they cover and the people who play it: game analysts, in-game reporters, and rules analysts.
Best Overall & NFL Game Analyst: Greg Olsen
If he keeps this up, we may need to retire Greg Olsen from this category and name it after him. If anything, his Fox Sports demotion to make room for Tom Brady has only cemented support for his work, which has not dropped off at all. Olsen has a point to prove every week he steps behind the microphone. Even if he doesn’t have the opportunity at Fox, everyone who listens knows he is a number-one analyst. A consummate professional, he has quickly mastered the art and is only getting started.
It’s also no surprise to see Olsen’s name at the top of the list of NFL analysts once again, but it’s worth explaining why. Olsen has endured at the top of his game, and his ability to explain any game situation is one of the key reasons why. He genuinely seems interested in educating viewers and football fans. His skill in the booth isn’t built on something that can come and go, like Tony Romo’s play predictions. It’s built on his ability to explain sometimes complex dynamics in a way that is easy for casual fans to appreciate, and to poke holes in longtime football tropes that could prompt even hardcore fans to view the game in a new way. – Matt Yoder
Best MLB Game Analyst: Ron Darling
Few national baseball analysts are willing to tell uncomfortable truths. Ron Darling is the exception. The TBS lead analyst has spent 2025 calling out the sport when it deserves criticism. When MLB selected Jacob Misiorowski for the All-Star Game after five starts, Darling questioned the integrity of the selection process rather than celebrating the feel-good story. When the Mets collapsed down the stretch, he and broadcast partners Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez didn’t sugarcoat it. They called it an “agonizing, three-and-a-half-month, slow-motion collapse.
TNT Sports rewarded Darling with a multiyear extension in September, recognizing his value as their lead analyst since 2008. He’s called 24 World Series, and his work during the 2025 ALCS added another postseason to an already impressive resume. His willingness to criticize organizational failures, from the Athletics’ handling of their Oakland exit to the Mets’ inability to re-sign Pete Alonso, demonstrates a courage most national analysts lack.
What separates Darling from the field is his refusal to play it safe. He combines sharp technical analysis with genuine passion, and he’s unafraid to take positions that might upset teams or leagues. In an era when too many analysts default to bland, inoffensive commentary, Darling stands out for telling viewers what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. – Sam Neumann
Best NBA Game Analyst: Tim Legler
Best CFB Game Analyst: Joel Klatt
Who else could it have been? Fox’s lead college football analyst spent 2025 doing what too few broadcasters are willing to do: holding the sport accountable. Whether it was defending Shedeur Sanders against anonymous NFL sources peddling character concerns or challenging narratives about teams that didn’t fit convenient storylines, Klatt refused to let lazy analysis go unchallenged.
But Klatt’s real value extends beyond defending players. His work alongside Gus Johnson on Big Noon Saturday has helped make Fox’s showcase one of college football’s premier broadcasts. His podcast breaks down film and explains what’s actually happening on the field instead of trafficking in hot takes. He takes positions, defends them, and isn’t afraid to be wrong. At a time when most college football coverage has devolved into personality-driven content, Klatt remains one of the few analysts who clearly watch the games and understand what they’re seeing. That’s why he’s the best. – Sam Neumann
Best CBB Game Analyst: Robbie Hummel
Hummel is a natural at college basketball, and you’re reminded of it every time you happen to catch him calling a game. After years of being more of a hidden gem, Hummel is front and center with NBC’s new On The Bench experiment and is now considered the heir apparent for the coveted role of replacing Bill Rafferty.
A sharp basketball mind who is concise and authoritative in his commentary, Hummel has a strong voice and a keen sense of what viewers can gain from hearing him. Hummel is a no-nonsense announcer who clearly loves the game and has quickly distinguished himself as someone with no ceiling as a broadcaster. – Ben Koo
Best In-Game Reporter: Laura Rutledge
Given the nature of the job, it can often be difficult for sideline reporters to stand out. But that’s precisely what Laura Rutledge did with her very first assignment of the year, covering the College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia in New Orleans.
Following the tragic New Year’s Eve terrorist attack that killed 15 people (including the perpetrator) on Bourbon Street, Rutledge had her boots on the ground, providing updates via both ESPN and ABC News. If ever there was a reminder of the journalism part of sports journalism, this was it, as the NFL Live host became the go-to authority on one of the most significant and sensitive stories imaginable.
Rutledge’s work didn’t go unnoticed; in 2025, she also secured a new contract and a role as a second sideline reporter on Monday Night Football. And in case you needed a reminder of her relentless reporting, it came just last week, as she refused to let Justin Herbert spurn her for a postgame interview. – Ben Axelrod
Best Rules Analyst: Terry McAulay
We may have seen plenty of former referees transition to broadcasting, but few have used their platform as effectively as Terry McAulay. In an era when it’s become increasingly common for rules analysts to explain what happened, NBC’s Sunday Night Football voice has become a true watchdog. And his willingness to hold officials accountable might be the most obvious example of why.
When the SEC permanently suspended veteran referee Ken Williamson after a single poor game, McAulay didn’t remain silent. He called it “insane” and shared his own story about having a terrible game early in the 2004 NFL season. His crew wasn’t suspended and eventually worked Super Bowl XXXIX. “If this is solely based on that one game, then shame on everyone involved,” he wrote. “It’s yet another reason why conferences should not oversee officiating and will forever be a dark stain on college football.”
To be certain, McAulay’s willingness to contradict officials in real time deserves credit for setting him apart. During Sunday Night Football’s Broncos-Commanders game, he flatly told Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth that an intentional grounding call was wrong. But if you had to identify what truly separates him from other rules analysts, it’s his courage to critique the system itself. He called the ACC’s widely praised transparency experiment with replay reviews “a mockery” because it lacked meaningful collaboration.
At a time when most rule analysts defend officials, McAulay has shown that the position can be more than merely explanatory. It can hold the system accountable. – Sam Neumann
