Welcome back to “On the Air,” in which Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters, on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry.
In 2011, CBS and TNT Sports began their NCAA Tournament broadcast partnership. During the first shared segment, longtime CBS host Greg Gumbel reached out to offer a welcoming handshake to his TNT counterpart Ernie Johnson, who awkwardly responded with an attempted fist bump. Those two seconds, while somewhat embarrassing for both hosts, reinforced a truth about Gumbel’s character — a truth expressed by many of his colleagues in the days following his passing.
Greg Gumbel was an old school gentleman who brought dignity and poise to the most chaotic period on the sports calendar. After all, they call it March Madness, not March Mundanity.
Gumbel’s style — less flash, more substance — was shaped by an era when studio hosts were expected to possess more of a true down-the-middle journalistic approach. “I’ve never felt in my entire life there is an announcer who can bring someone to the TV set to watch a game that viewer wasn’t already going to watch,” Gumbel said in a 2022 appearance on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast.
It wasn’t that Gumbel had no personality; it was that he understood his role was to ensure his analysts — which included bold-faced names like Terry Bradshaw, Shannon Sharpe, Boomer Esiason, Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith — garnered the attention.
On the rare occasion Gumbel would let his hair down, hilarity would ensue. Over time, Barkley would find ways during coverage of the tournament to make the esteemed host belly laugh in his chair, resulting in viral social media moments.
When Gumbel died in December 2024, he left the network and the industry with a void that may never be filled. The age of the dignified “just the facts” anchor is ending. A new type of host is emerging, one with more edge, with elan, with a vibe. Taylor Rooks has that type of swagger, and it’s helped shape Amazon Prime’s enjoyable NBA studio. Adam Lefkoe carries that kind of panache, and he’s become the heir apparent to Ernie Johnson at TNT Sports. In the past year, Lefkoe has served as primary host for TNT Sports’ coverage of the NLCS, the French Open, college football and college basketball.
Suits, pocket squares, and loafers are being replaced by sneakers, hoodies, and zip-up jackets.
The evolution is tailor-made for a personality like CBS’ Nate Burleson.
Last week, Burleson, 44, was named studio host of the early rounds of CBS/TNT Sports’ NCAA Tournament coverage, substituting for Ernie Johnson. It’s a move that further cements Burleson as one of the most prominent faces of CBS and sets him up to take over the lead chair on The NFL Today whenever Hall of Fame host James Brown retires.
Few could’ve imagined Burleson enjoying this kind of post-career stardom. He had a solid, but not spectacular, 11-year career as NFL wide receiver. Unlike counterpart Michael Strahan of “Fox NFL Sunday” and “Good Morning America,” Burleson did not play for a New York team, he did not win a Super Bowl, and he is not a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Burleson worked his way to the peak of the industry with charm, skill and self-confident verve. With his splashy suits and his relaxed speech, Burleson has become one of the most influential hosts in all of television.
He polished many of his best traits during the early days of NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” The original cast of Kay Adams, Kyle Brandt, Peter Schrager and Burleson possessed a chemistry that is hard to replicate. Though Jason McCourty was a more than capable successor to Burleson, the show never earned the same widespread acclaim as that of its initial panel.
Burleson charged forward, becoming an analyst on “The NFL Today” in 2017, where he won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Analyst in 2021 and 2022. So impressed was the network with the former NFL WR that it named him a co-anchor of “CBS This Morning,” where he has worked since 2021.
There is no one definitive way to be a broadcaster. Burleson’s approach can be just as effective as the more straightforward style of classic hosts like Gumbel or Johnson. No method is necessarily better than another. As the times change, so do the personalities. What is clear is that CBS believes in Burleson’s brand of television, and that Burleson is the most conspicuous host among a group that represents a shift in how anchors bring us many of sports television’s most important events.
Plus: Olympics coverage reminds us that storytelling still works
Over the years, NBC’s coverage of the Olympics has been criticized for being too schmaltzy. But Sunday’s broadcast of the men’s gold medal game between the USA and Canada reminded us of a fundamental truth: the stories matter. Looking for evidence? Listen to Kenny Albert’s passionate call of Jack Hughes’ winning goal. Watch the tribute the US team made to the late Johnny Gaudreau. Listen to Mike Tirico’s exceptional postgame monologue.
Former NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol believed in the power of storytelling, and his legacy continues.
Debates have their place. Conversations about legacy and what’s right or wrong with a sport or a player have some merit to them. But only through effective storytelling do viewers learn to appreciate the magnitude of the players and the coaches they root for or against.
Though nothing will top the miracle of 1980, NBC’s framing of the USA’s first hockey gold since 2026 created memories that will be dissected and relived for generations.
