Between overhyping the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry and bestowing a flashy nickname on Marvin Harrison Jr., Gus Johnson was just too much for Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on Saturday afternoon.
Russo let his listeners know Tuesday on Mad Dog Unleashed that he was no fan of the “hype machine” Johnson.
“Gus Johnson — the hype machine that he is — please, when you broadcast a ballgame, I don’t need to hear about Maserati Marv, number one. And number two, that’s not the greatest rivalry in sports history,” Russo said, as per Barrett Sports Media. “Have you heard of the Yankees and the Red Sox? Giants and the Dodgers? How about Bears/Packers? Have you heard about that?”
https://twitter.com/BackAftaThis/status/1729583507725238735
Russo continued by listing rivalries. Running through old athletes and teams is, after all, one of his favorite things to do.
“For crying out loud, Michigan/Ohio State isn’t even better than North Carolina/Duke, who play twice a year,” Russo added. “So let’s be careful with the hype machine. That bothered the hell out of me.”
Most fans love Johnson. He makes games feel unique and special, and unleashes a crazed passion that really suits college football.
Plus, the Michigan-Ohio State ratings were off the charts this weekend. So viewers did not seem to be turned off by Johnson much at all.
Even Russo clearly watched the full game to have such deep analysis of what he disliked about Johnson’s stylings.
Considering we know Russo’s Saturday routine at this point, maybe we can chalk up his Johnson hate to the gummies hitting a little too hard.
[Mad Dog Unleashed, via Funhouse]
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.