Some pro athletes make great managers and coaches. They were leaders in their respected sport and now lead teams. People like Joe Torre, Dave Cowens, Pat Riley and Kevin McHale have all done that. Some athletes have great intuition, insight, solid TV presence are very attractive and are fantastic communicators.
Those are the people I want to talk about today. Let’s identify professional athletes that will follow in the footsteps of Bill Walton, Charles Barkley, Isiah Thomas, Chris Weber, Steve Lyons, Jerry Remy, Dennis Eckersley and Joe Morgan.
Here are four of my choices:
- Shaquille O’Neal – big personality, million dollar smile, loved by many, enormous following on twitter won’t hurt – ok maybe they won’t have a chair big enough for him but everything else works
- Rodney Harrison – great player, very respected in the game, looks good on camera and seems to be very smart and a great communicator
- Curt Schilling – very opinionated, smart guy, always has something to say. Was a guy you wanted on the mound when the game really mattered, would need to tone it down a lot.
- Greg Maddux – no brainer in my book. Already looks like a sportscaster. One of the all-time greats who is smart and very soft spoken.
Ok your turn.
- What do you think of my 4 choices?
- Who do you have on your list?
- Who is the best athlete turned sportscaster in your mind?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Stephenie Gordon says:
Tom Brady and Derek Jeter would be two i can think of off the top of my head. I think Shaq, Curt and Greg are great choices, though not sure about Shaq because they would have a hard time fitting him into the shot.
Kristy Hoover says:
Without a doubt, Peyton Manning! Of course, we are in no hurry to see him become a broadcaster because he has many years left to lead the Colts, host SNL, and create more funny videos for future ESPY awards.
Will Morris says:
A quick note before heading to the airport. Greg Maddux is a no-brainer. I would enjoy Curt Schilling some of the time but I think he gets too preachy. There is a fine line between being candid with your opinions and being a jerk about your opinions. Some days he is like listening to Fox News, which I only do in 2 minute segments.
Shaq will have to balance his sportscasting with his movie career.
Pierre says:
Let’s include LANCE ARMSTRONG because seven Tour de France wins in a row and a Third Place win (at his age) are ALL quite stunning achievements. Now, all we need to do is talk him into it! I think he’s going to be too busy training for TDF 2010.
Rhonda Ellis says:
Yeah, I’m good with your choices.
Of course you’d have to have at least a small list for each sport (baseball, basketball, football, etc.).
My main sports that I keep up with are NASCAR and basketball (mostly NCAA college ball). So, these are the 2 that I can comment on.
For NASCAR, I would have to say that I thoroughly enjoy Darryl Waltrip and Brad Daugherty (whom I know personally). Darryl is excellent because he was a fan first so he knows what the fans want to hear, see and know during the race and then of course he was a successful driver for many years with some of NASCAR’s legends and greats. This gives him the ability to bring to the announcer’s box information from many levels all with the fire and excitement of a real NASCAR fan. And Brad Daugherty is now a car owner and sportscaster. He’s more laid back (less excitable) than Darryl and so brings a “stand back and take it all in” view to what happens out on the race track. Very intelligent, very well spoken, nice even-keel kinda guy.
For future announcers of NASCAR I would LOVE to have Chad Knaus (crew chief for Jimmie Johnson) up there on the box. Wow!! Would I love to know during a race what that man is thinking. Very, very, very smart and clever man that knows his stuff backwards and forwards.
Now, as far as basketball, I would love to see Michael Jordan and eventually (when he’s done on the court — which may be a while — hopefully) the one and only Tyler Hansbrough.
Steve Schlesinger says:
I agree with Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter. You look for the players that seem to have a geniune interest in the nuances of the game and almost act like coaches on the sideline and on the field. And of course personality helps.
Others would be Reggie Miller (basketball), Michael Jordan (basketball), Drew Brees (football), Kurt Warner (football), Chris Sims (football – has to be in his genes as Phil is one of the best), Tiger Woods (golf), Phil Mickelson (golf)
Merrill Dubrow says:
Steve,
I love your Kurt Warner and Phil Mickelson additions. I think most people like both of them and they probably would have tremendous insight to offer.
Nice comments.
Merrill
Gwen says:
I am going to stick to local choices (DFW) – Jason Terry (basketball), Michael Young (baseball), Mike Modano (hockey) and since he is no longer with Jessica, I will include Tony Romo (football).
Merrill Dubrow says:
Gwen,
I think Mike Modano would be an interesting choice. He seems to be a good communicator and very knowledgeable about the game.
Thanks.
Merrill
Kevin Robertson says:
Being the lone tennis nut out there, I think Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi would be great commentators. I think Jimbo would be a “tell like it is” type of announcer. This approach works so well for Johnny Mac.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Kevin,
I would LOVE to see Jimmy Connors as a broadcaster! I miss him alot.
Merrill
Susan Hayes says:
Lance should definitely be in the mix, but I don’t think he will slow down anytime soon to consider sportscasting.
I’m such an NFL fan, I would go for the smart players with less notoriety like Brian Urlacher, Mike Vrabel and Jason Witten. For a great smile and personality, Hines Ward may have a future on TV.
While seemingly shy, I think Tim Duncan and Grant Hill would be a very knowledgeable NBA broadcasters, much like Reggie Miller. If personality is the key, I think LeBron might be the guy, but much like Jordan I’m sure he will have other enterprises keeping him busy.
LS says:
I’m not saying he’s the right choice but I’ve got to believe that one day Terrill Owens will be involved in broadcasting in some way – lots of baggage comes along with him but on the plus side, he has personality and loves the spotlight.
Other football names that come to mind (many that have already been mentioned): Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Brian Urlacher, Champ Bailey and Tony Gonzalez. The only problem I see for a network who hires Brett is whether or not he’ll “unretire” again.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Lisa,
Wow – T.O. I don’t see that one. Yes opinionated which is ok but I think he seems to be very very selfish and people would get very tired of his act. Love Tony Gonzalez – great choice!
Thanks.
Merrill
Eric Brall says:
T.O might be successful at it – a lot of people saw Keyshawn Johnson the same way when h was playing – an egotistical prima-donna – but he’s done very well in the broadcast booth since.
Lovejoy says:
Definitely Derek Jeter! Knowledgeable and would take a REALLY LONG TIME to get tired of looking at him!
Tino, Donnie Baseball, Jason Taylor, Peyton Manning and Joe Nieuwendyk would also be good ones.
janet says:
I would not vote for Shaq. Never liked him. But I do think Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre (if he ever retires), Tim Duncan, and of course my man, Lance Armstrong. I also think either of the Manning brothers would be great and Pat Summit would be the greatest ever for b=wonen’s basketball.
Matt Steinhaus says:
Good topic. But respectfully Merrill, I will disagree large with Shaq and Schilling. Maddux would be a good one, I’m sure. I cant listen to Shaq any more, period. He has a great personality, but his monotone cadence is awful. Curt Schilling is totally unappealing to me, and the thought of that guy with a microphone for nine innings is excruciating. Rodney Harrison could be good in the spirit of colossal goons making their mark in broadcasting – Matthew Barnaby surprised me a ton in hockey.
And one chunk of reality here – greatness as a player doesn’t automatically translate. One of the best football commentators, in my opinion, is Andre Ware. Dreadful pro player, but extremely good commentator.
The one guy who totally impressed me when enlisted to work the tube (when the Tigers are out of it), it Curtis Granderson. He is still so young, but when he hangs it up, he has a job waiting for him. A couple of others I like to perhaps make the transition and be good at it: Derek Fisher, and as much as I disliked him as a coach, Brian Billick (who I believe is already on the air).
Malcolm Williamson says:
Rickey Henderson for sure baby!
Adam Jolley says:
Great suggestions so far. I was trying to think of all the athletes currently in broadcasting and realize that the majority weren’t top 10 players. In college I worked for both sports teams in Cincinnati and noticed that the rarest thing in the stadium is a universally-like-able personality among athletes. For every Charles Barkley, there’s a Magic Johnson. You’ll find a lot more “role type” athletes that excel in broadcasting. My favorites are Jon Berry, Tim Legler, Orel Hershheiser, Harold Reynolds, Solomon Wilcotts, and Steve Tasker. Look at the MLB Network. The most accomplished player may be Barry Larkin but they have amazing character guys in Mitch Williams, Al Leiter, and my favorite, Sean Casey.
As far as current athletes, I’d love to see Nick Swisher, Mo Williams, and Hines Ward.
Merrill Dubrow says:
It was great to see Rodney Harrison as an analyst on Sunday football America. He gave great insight prior to the Pats/Colts game. He brought up some good points and spoke about the Pats/Colts rivalry – which he certainly knows a tremendous amount about.
Rodney – keep up the good work!
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
THIS WAS AN EASY ONE TO PREDICT – SHAQ WILL BE GREAT….
Turner Broadcasting confirmed that Shaquille O’Neal has signed a multi-year deal to be an NBA analyst.
Shaq will be working with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson during TNT’s broadcasts. It’s a perfect transition job for Shaq and confirms that he has no plans about reconsidering his retirement. O’Neal was perhaps the best quote in the league during the last 10 years.