Chris Russo is a legendary figure in sports radio and sports broadcasting with a career spanning multiple decades including a renaissance as a national figure at ESPN and on SiriusXM radio. And one of his greatest gifts to humanity is his extensive blooper reel of mispronunciations.
The “Mad Dog” likely won’t be a spokesperson for Hooked on Phonics anytime soon as we’ve seen him struggle to pronounce the names of not just athletes and coaches, but even the likes of Barack Obama… who was only the President of the United States for eight years.
So when Russo tried to take on the name “Jaxon Smith-Njigba” after the Seattle Seahawks receiver put up huge numbers in Sunday’s victory at the New England Patriots, everyone listening probably knew we were headed for disaster. And they were right. Even if you had 100 guesses, you probably won’t be able to guess the direction that Russo heads in when trying to properly pronounce “Njigba.”
Mad Dog Russo gives the name “Jaxon Smith-Njigba” a shot. 😂 #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/j0Ynr4zT4X
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) September 17, 2024
If Russo couldn’t get out the name of JSN’s former Ohio State teammate Chris Olave, then Mad Dog had no hope with this one.
But you know what, give Chris Russo all the credit in the world for trying. He didn’t take the easy way out and go with merely the initials by calling him “JSN” or just trying to get by with calling him “Smith,” he went head on into the storm. Russo’s constant mispronunciations are not only hilarious and endearing, but also admirable as well. And great sources of content, too.
