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.
When Fox play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson is calling a game, you know it. From his vibrant sport coats to his on-camera fist bump with analyst Joel Klatt to his “All-American girl” nickname for sideline reporter Jenny Taft, Johnson places his own unique stamp on every Big Noon Saturday broadcast.
It’s a style he’s been fine-tuning since his days at CBS, where he won fans over with his spirited NCAA Tournament calls. There’s “BATISTA WITH THE CAAAAAATCH!” from 2006. Many remember, “Ohhhhhh! My goodness!!! Sorrentine … hit that one from the parking lot!” from 2003. Then there’s, “He ties it at 62! Lavender, three-quarter court! And we’re going to overtime, innnnnn Lexington! HA HA! College basketball! CBS Sports! THIS is March Madness!” from 2007. And longtime March Madness fans are familiar with his famous “the slipper still fits” call from 1999.
It’s almost hard to believe but Johnson has worked for Fox (14 years) almost as long as he worked for CBS (16 years). In the time he’s spent as lead Fox voice, nothing has really changed about Johnson’s broadcast style. He is still as exuberant as ever, often screaming out his calls.
What has changed is the quality of the games he calls, specifically for Fox college football coverage. In 2017, Fox became the broadcast home of the Ohio State-Michigan football game. “The Game,” as it is known, is annually one of the most-viewed college football games of the season. With Fox as primary Big Ten football rights holder, Johnson’s voice is heard frequently on the most significant contests in the conference.
While there are many who still look forward to Johnson’s enthusiastic delivery, his approach has long been polarizing.
Football is an interesting sport. Though its rhythm is perfect for television, there is not nearly as much action as basketball, the sport with which Johnson gained his popularity. Football is filled with its peaks and valleys. Not every play is a 60-yard Hail Mary for a touchdown. Oftentimes, instead of a deep pass for 40 yards, viewers get a shotgun formation handoff for three yards. A short screen play is not nearly as exciting as a last-second 30-foot jumper or a shooting guard hitting four three-pointers in a row during a tournament game.
Football’s “up-down, stop-start” rhythm requires an announcer whose style matches the game’s flow. Johnson’s does not. Instead, Johnson calls a game, like Saturday’s Ohio State-Michigan broadcast, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. His voice stays at a higher than normal level, even for unremarkable plays.
As a result, Johnson misses a fundamental element of his job: storytelling. The play-by-play announcer is the game’s chief storyteller. Not only do announcers tell stories with the words they use, they tell them by how their voices rise and fall. The proper use of inflection signals something to the audience, and can help provide insight to the viewer as to how a given moment should be received and contextualized.
None of this is to suggest that raising one’s voice during a notable play is wrong. In fact, it is encouraged. When an announcer is perceived to be unenthusiastic during a major play — a criticism legendary announcer Al Michaels faces on a weekly basis during Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts — viewers are quick to voice their displeasure.
Big moments demand big calls. Many of the current greats in college football — like Sean McDonough, Bob Wischusen and Dave Pasch, to name a few — turn up the volume on important catches, long runs, turnovers and touchdowns. But those moments within a football game are special, and should be treated as such.
It is unrealistic to expect Johnson, who is approaching 60, to change his approach, but if he ever truly abandoned the carnival barking for a more well-rounded presentation, he’d be doing viewers a great service.
Plus: Brees becoming more assertive in Fox booth
Ask any good network play-by-play announcer and they’ll tell you television is the analyst’s domain. On television, the analyst is the star, and one of the primary responsibilities of the play-by-play voice is to ensure the analyst shines.
The more inexperienced game analysts, however, often need their play-by-play partners to say more in order to lead them into their thoughts. TV professionals describe this with the golf term “teeing up.” Here’s a way viewers can judge if an analyst is maturing: How much does that analyst offer thoughts and observations between plays without the guidance of the play-by-play announcer? Fox analyst Drew Brees is growing in this area, sharing opinions more readily without boothmate Adam Amin’s verbal cues.
During the first quarter of Sunday’s exciting Rams-Panthers game, Brees was quick to provide commentary on where Panthers QB Bryce Young is most comfortable when it comes to run-pass option plays.
“I think it’s a good part of Bryce Young’s game,” Brees said. “He has a knack for being able to hold the ball in the pocket, pull it late, or deal it to the edge if they get the numbers right.”
There are obvious plays during a broadcast that require a second look, and the analyst is expected to break those replays down with aplomb. But analysts are also expected to have something substantive to say between plays, based on their own knowledge of the game, as well as interviews, game film and real-time observations.
Brees has expressed a desire to be the one of the best in the booth. His success — and that of any game analyst — relies on his ability to not just explain elements of the game or narrate a replay, but to become a capable conversationalist.
