There's nothing like the sound of a sporting event.
And there's nothing worse than realizing that you have to mute that sound because Joe Buck is calling the game.
There are several sportscasters that are a chore to listen to. Whether it's misused words, getting facts dead wrong, or saying things that offend on a massive scale, some commentators need to find another job.
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Tim McCarver – Color Commentator for Baseball On Fox
Why he's bad: Tim McCarver is walking and talking proof that a former baseball player isn't always the best choice to speak into a microphone.
Timmy Mac uses grandiose vocabulary to delude heeders into determining that he is more perspicacious than most homosapiens. People who do that are the worst.
Yeah, he actually said this: "Mount Everest erupts again!" - said after David Ortiz hit the game winning single in Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS.
Joe Buck – Lead play-by-play commentator for the NFL and MLB on Fox
Why he's bad: Joe Buck doesn't show any enthusiasm for his job even while simultaneously exhibiting clear biases against certain athletes and teams. Buck also seems to feel as though that everyone watching the games that he talks over wants to hear what his opinion on issues that affect him personally such as times when athletes have snubbed him or when someone pretending to moon a crowd of Packers fans offends him.
Yeah, he actually said this: "Sarah Wood will be celebrating with her husband tonight!" - Buck after the Cubs won the 2003 NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.
Sarah Wood is former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood's wife whom the Fox cameramen were obsessed with.
Brent Musburger – Play-by-play commentator for ESPN and ABC
Why he's bad: On September 16th, 2008, Musburger called the USC-Nebraska college football game and he revealed what a signal used by USC quarterback John David Booty meant live on air. Musburger learned the signal in a pre-game conversation that USC claims was meant for "background purposes only." They were none-to-happy about that one.
Yeah, he actually said this: In a 1968 column for the now non-existent paper The Chicago American, Brent Musburger called Tommie Smith and John Carlos "black-skinned storm troopers" for their famous Black Power salute at the 1968 Summer Olympics. This was before Star Wars, so Musberger was alluding to the Sturmabteilung which was the precursor to the infamous SS in Hitler's Third Reich. Musburger later recanted his statement a bit and called the quote "a bit harsh."
Chris Berman – Host of various ESPN programs
Why he's bad: Berman is straight up annoying. The shtick that Berman developed when he first joined up with ESPN in 1979 worked well for a long time, but "BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK!" has gotta go.
Yes, he actually said this: Here's Berman talking about how to best smuggle codeine into America.
Magic Johnson – Analyst on ABC and TNT for the NBA
Why he's bad: Magic is so likable, but all the smiles in the world cannot hide the face that he can't analyze a basketball game. While he may be the only sportscaster on the planet that is socially allowed to have a clear bias when giving his take on his sport of expertise, Magic hasn't said anything that provided real insight to a game.
Yes, he actually said this "They're going to make the playoffs. I think that they're going to be a tough eight or seven seed, too." -Magic Johnson talking about the Knicks in January of 2008. The team ended up going 23-59 that year and didn't make the playoffs at all.
Chip Caray – Broadcaster for Fox Sports
Why he's bad: Chip is a third generation sportscaster. His father was the great Skip Caray of the Atlanta Braves, and his grandfather was the immortal baseball announcer/personality Harry Caray. While Chip's voice is very good, he makes constant mistakes.
Yes, he actually said that: "A quality at-bat for Orlando Cabrera."- Caray, without sarcasm, making the call after Minnesota shortstop Orlando Cabrera struck out with two men on in the top of the seventh inning of Game 1 of the 2009 ALDS.
Dick Vitale – Color commentator for ESPN
Why he's bad: Vitale is certainly passionate about college basketball, but passion doesn't necessarily equate to insight. Rather than explain why a certain player should attack a defender's weakside, or illustrate why someone's shot isn't going in, Dickie V would rather yell out an adjective and put "baby" after it.
Yes, he actually said this: "Forty-five seconds left, one point up. You have the ball, you wanna spread the court, score here, and play good defense." – Dickie V applying his impressive analytical abilities during the closing seconds of regulation of a Memphis vs. USC basketball game on December 4, 2007.
Pam Ward – Play-by-play commentator for ESPN
Why she's bad: A player clearly squirming in pain doesn't matter to Pam, she'd rather get right back to the action so she can keep spouting her verbal diarrhea to a public that only wanted to watch college football. Instead, they got saddled with watching the person Awful Announcing named their "award' for poor sports broadcasting after.
Yes, she actually said this: "A hundred yard touchdown return for the touchdown!" -Pam Ward calling a Michigan State kick off return again Minnesota.
Colin Cowherd – Host of various radio and television programs on ESPN
Why he's bad: Colin Cowherd is the loudest guy in the room, and he's routinely the most uninformed person there too. He has more than once spouted off half-baked takes on sports stories that involve tragedy that turned out to be woefully wrong and disrespectful.
Yes, he actually said this: "Well, yeah, just because you clean the rug doesn't mean you got everything out. Sometimes you've got stains, stuff so deep it never ever leaves."- Cowherd on the murder of Redskins' safety Sean Taylor. Herd blamed Taylor's checkered past for his murder. In realty, Taylor was the victim of a botched robbery and the two intruders had no idea he was home.
Jim Gray – Sports reporter for ESPN
Why he's bad: There's little sense to be made of Jim Gray's two Sports Reporter of the Year awards from the ASA; he just may give the most abrasive interview in any journalistic avenue.
Gray's most infamous moments came during his interview with Pete Rose during Game 2 of the 1999 World Series. Rose was voted on to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team by the fans of Major League Baseball. It was his first appearance at a MLB event since accepting his lifetime for betting on baseball. Gray didn't ask about the event at all, but relentlessly prodded him to admit what he had done. Most observers felt it took a lot away from the event.
Yes, he actually said this: The full Pete Rose interview.
Bonus: Former Yankee Chad Curtis refusing an interview with Gray after hitting a walk-off home run in Game 3 of the 1999 World Series.
Perhaps those announcers should get their resumes in order
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