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.
NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico became the oldest first-time voice of the Super Bowl last weekend, completing a journey to the very top of the sports broadcasting industry. The list of championship-level voices is short and prestigious, including some of the most respected voices in sports television — Tirico, Jim Nantz, Joe Buck, Mike Breen and Sean McDonough among them.
The youngest of them in the “Big Four” of the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL is Joe Davis, voice of the World Series on FOX — and of the event’s dynastic champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Not too long ago, Davis was a fresh-faced newcomer to MLB broadcasting. Now, he’s an Emmy-winning announcer with a collection of calls that have framed some of MLB’s most legendary moments.
Like his inspiration Joe Buck, Davis has a knack for nailing the big call.
“Gibby, meet Freddie!” The moment Davis uttered those three words in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, viewers knew they’d seen and heard history.
In the 2022 NLCS, Davis roared, “HARPER, THE SWING OF HIS LIFE!” after Bryce Harper’s two-run blast in the eighth inning against the Padres.
“AND THE LEGEND GROWS!” Davis declared after Adolis Garcia’s walk-off home run in game 1 of the 2023 World Series vs. the Diamondbacks.
And as the Dodgers outlasted the Blue Jays in game 7 of the 2025 World Series to win a second straight title, Davis famously exclaimed, “TO BEAT THE CHAMP, YOU GOTTA KNOCK ‘EM OUT!”
Davis has found a way to honor the legacies of his predecessors Vin Scully and Joe Buck — two all-time greats — while charting his own course with unforgettable calls that provide the proper energy and historical context. At just 38 years old and with four World Series on his resume, Davis is a prominent member of a group of broadcasters who have reached the top of the mountain at a young age. While Davis enjoys the sports broadcasting summit, other up-and-comers are proving they possess the skills to become championship-quality announcers.
Michael Grady
Five years ago, Michael Grady was a sideline reporter and occasional play-by-play fill-in for Ian Eagle on Brooklyn Nets games. Today, he serves as play-by-play announcer for both NBC and Amazon Prime, in addition to his work locally as voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It’s a crowded NBA broadcasting field, but the 42-year-old Grady has found a way to rise above most. His full-bodied baritone voice is as soothing as hot coffee on a cold winter morning.
With a healthy mix of erudition, humor, flair and brevity, Grady has positioned himself for a long run at the top of the NBA broadcasting food chain.
“I look at myself as a genuine sports fan who just happens to be an announcer and I hope that comes off in the broadcast,” Grady said on the Sports Media Watch Podcast in November.
Heavily influenced by 1990s NBA on NBC personalities like Bob Costas and Ahmad Rashad, Grady demonstrates the ability to weave in and out of different modes, blending old-school substance with contemporary style.
Mike Monaco
In recent years, ESPN has let a few of the industry’s best young voices — Adam Amin, Jason Benetti and Joe Davis — go to Fox. The network would be wise to hold on to Mike Monaco. Name a sport and Monaco, 32, has probably called it. Over the last few years, Monaco has become one of ESPN’s most reliable NHL announcers.
There is no reason to believe top NHL voices Sean McDonough, 63, and Bob Wischusen, 54, are going away any time soon, but if ESPN believes in its future, it should make the investment in Monaco.
Given the time to continue to raise his profile, Monaco could become one of hockey’s big game callers.
Noah Eagle
For years, Noah Eagle has been sports broadcasting’s “rising star.” The 29-year-old play-by-play announcer is NBC’s lead college football voice and its secondary NBA announcer. This weekend, Eagle will call his first NBA All-Star Game, filling in for Mike Tirico, who is hosting the Winter Olympics.
Whether it’s the gold medal basketball game of the Summer Olympics, hosting segments of Super Bowl LX, the NBA, NFL, or college football, Eagle handles every marquee role with the poise and presence of a 20-year veteran.
“He (Eagle) is the most impressive young broadcaster to come along since Joe Buck. Noah Eagle sounds as good as some Hall of Fame broadcaster at age 45 or 50.” For the objective listener, those words of effusive praise, spoken by broadcasting legend Bob Costas during a conversation at the George W. Bush Presidential Center last year, are hard to contest.
It can be argued that Noah Eagle is the most prominent voice among a group that represents the next generation of championship-level announcers — broadcasters who will take the baton from bold-faced names like Jim Nantz, Mike Tirico, and Joe Buck and provide the lyrics to sports’ most iconic moments for years to come.
Plus: Appreciation of Dan Shulman
It can be easy to take great broadcasters for granted, especially ones who do their jobs unpretentiously. Dan Shulman has been a superb play-by-play voice for a long time. In the 1990s, he began calling Toronto Blue Jays games on TSN with the recently retired Buck Martinez. Together, they formed one of the strongest baseball broadcast teams of the last three decades.
He continues exceptional work as ESPN’s lead college basketball voice. What he lacks in gaudiness, Shulman makes up for in polish and command.
His call of North Carolina’s last-second shot over Duke will join other countless moments in the history of the storied rivalry.
“Into Dixon … Boozer switches onto him … Dixon the kick … Trimble … GOT IT! AND CAROLINA WINS IT!”
Though he isn’t a glutton for the spotlight, few play-by-play announcers have been as consistently good as Dan Shulman.
