Since the days of Howard Cosell, sports announcers and analysts have created dissension among sports fans. With the good ones, you either love them or you hate them. Their job, after all, is to inspire discussion. You may have hated Keith Jackson, but he had you talking about Desmond Howard after his famous “Hello Heisman!” call, which I’m sure that was fine with ABC. Announcers, good or bad, get people talking about their respective sports. And, in most cases, they do nothing but good for that sport. The following is a top 20 list of the most ridiculous sports announcers and analysts of today, complete with videos analyzing their ridiculousness / horribleness. Well let you decide who to deem horrible and who to deem ridiculous on this list.
21. Dan Marino
He is obviously still angry about not winning that SuperBowl.
20. Emmitt Smith
Emmitt is proof that not all great players are great analyzers of the game. He can’t break down a game, and frankly, he can’t even speak English.
19. Brent Musberger
Graduating from Northwestern, Brent Musberger is an undeniable Big Ten homer. Yet, even Big Ten fans hate him. Michigan fans think he’s a Buckeye, Buckeye fans think he’s a Michigan guy. There’s one thing nobody can deny… he knows how to call the big play. Brent Musberger could make a trip to the dentist exciting. Plus, he has his own drinking game.
“aging hippies” and “two for one is a very good deal if you’re a tree hugger”
18. Tony Kornheiser
From his ESPN afternoon radio show to PTI to Monday Night Football, Kornheiser has gotten progressively worse over the years. But, he’s loud.  And, so he keeps moving up in the sports world. Also, he is a flaming racist who is hell bent on perpetuating stereotypes involving Hispanics and dry cleaning.
Hard hitting sports analysis:
17. Joe Morgan
Another example of a wonderful athlete gone wrong. Joe Morgan was a Hall of Fame second base with the Cincinnati Reds. Apparently, that qualifies him to be able to judge the speed of a fastball from the booth. Morgan routinely questions the radar gun when the likes of Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya touch 100 on Sunday Night Baseball. Morgan also informs us that leadoff walks are worse than two out walks.
Sadly, he manages to inject an Aqua Velva comment into most broadcasts:
16. Skip Bayless
It is simply amazing that one person can hate so many high-profile athletes. Whether it’s Kevin Gar-not, Peyton Manning’s inability to win the big game (whoops!), or claiming Tiger Woods is not the greatest golfer of all-time, Skip Bayless is wrong a lot. Oh, and he doesn’t think Michael Phelps is very impressive. He sure comes up with some great nicknames, though!
15. Woody Paige
Skip’s former First and Ten counterpart is just slightly more ridiculous than he. Starting off as the Denver Post panelist for Around the Horn, Paige quickly created a friendly rivalry with Chicago columnist Jay Mariotti. In his seventh year on the show, the rivalry has faded some but Paige’s following is as large as ever. Seeing what ridiculous statements he puts on his personal blackboard is enough alone to keep people watching Woody.
Wood Paige comedy hour, look for his next stand-up special on Comedy Central. It should be appearing right after Paula Poundstone’s next special:
14. Johnny Miller
Most in-game commentators hold something back when criticizing players. After all, if they say something to piss off an athlete, it’s going to be much harder for them to get insider-type information. Johnny Miller is certainly an exception. Miller is one of those guys who says what everyone else is thinking. Except he does it on live television. And even Tiger Woods is not off limits.
13. Stuart Scott
“Boo-Yah!â€Â Stuart Scott is a walking one-liner. Whether it’s quoting a rap song or defending his beloved Tarheels, Stuart Scott is always entertaining. “Holla at a playa when you see him in the street.†Oh, and by entertaining, I mean, exhaustively annoying.
Best, sportscenter segment, ever:
12. Joe Buck
Joe Buck tops Skip Carey as the worst announcer to have a job strictly because of his father. Starting off in baseball like his father Jack, Joe moved to the NFL in 2002. While Joe Buck has a great voice, his football knowledge leaves something to be desired. He does have a tendency to overreact, too.
Joe Beck deems this video is appaling, view it at your own risk. (Just so you know, it is absolutely SFW)
11. Rod Allen
The only local guy on our list, Rod Allen makes up for it with his nightly ridiculous comments for the Detroit Tigers. He was pretty ridiculous as a player, but he has reached a whole new level in the booth. Rod always manages to talk to at least one Tiger during batting practice (a point he is not humble about). In my mind, he will always be famous for this call of a Craig Monroe home run in 2006.
10. Lee Corso
Apparently being a mediocre football coach at Indiana University is enough to become a star on College Gameday. Before Gameday, Corso was best known for coaching Indiana during perhaps the most famous play in Michigan football history. Since then, he has consistently made a fool of himself on College Gameday by making terrible predictions and putting on every mascot headgear possible.
9. Jim Rome
Most people develop their gifts as time goes on. For Jim Rome, however, brashness is innate. Even early in his career Rome knew how to piss people off (see below)  If you’ve never heard Rome’s radio show, you’re not missing a lot… except a lot of unnecessary four-syllable words. He tries to come off as smart, and for some reason, his extremely loyal listeners buy it.
8. John Madden
The fact that he does not do commentary for a game named after him puts him on this list by itself. Add an unnatural obsession with Brett Favre, an unhealthy love for the telestrator, and an uncanny ability to state the obvious, and Madden falls at number eight. Plus, when Frank Caliendo is making fun of you, it’s safe to say that you’re at least a little absurd.
7. Chris Berman
Whether it’s his “back-back-back-back†line at the Home Run Derby or “he could..go..all..the..way†during a long run in an NFL game, Chris Berman is always good for a dramatic line. Nothing is better, however, than his nicknames. Mike “You’re in good hands with†Alstott and Jason “You can’t always get what†Avant among the best, Berman’s combination of quality and quantity is remarkable.
(strong language in this one)
6. Bill Walton
The king of the hyperbole falls sixth on the list. Always calling someone the best or worst player in “the history of Western civilization,†Walton is hard to take seriously at times. He was a great player, but he should have stopped there.
5. Don Cherry
Check out his suits. Enough said.
4. Charles Barkley
His discussion of politics alone is enough for a top ten spot on the list. Barkley is another one of those guys who says what everyone else is thinking. He’s not afraid to say anything, whether it involve politics or a player’s poor performance. Oh, and he did race 68 year old Dick Bavetta at last year’s All-Star game. Ridiculous might be an understatement.
I can barely watch this video:
3. Lou Holtz
Always one step ahead of the NCAA discipline committee as a head football coach, Lou seems to be one step ahead of himself when speaking. He covers the camera lens with his saliva nightly. His pep talk and Dr. Lou segments on ESPN have just added to the legend that is Lou Holtz.
2. Dick Vitale
If you can get past his obsession with Duke basketball and Coach K, Dick Vitale is great at heart. Yes, he’s loud. Yes, he’s obnoxious at times. And that’s why people talk about him. That’s why ESPN loves him. He’s probably the most talked about sports personality today, even after half a year off the job. And his passion for college basketball? It’s awesome, baby!
(It’s almost unimaginable that he was this awkward in front of the camera at one time)
1. Stephen A. Smith
I would say Stephen A. is another one of those who you either love or hate, but I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone that likes him. He generally does a good job hiding his love for New York teams well. He is also very mild-tempered and never overreacts. Frankly, I don’t really understand why people don’t like him. And if imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, then even his ESPN co-workers like him.
Pro-Fes-Sion-Nal-Ism
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How can you call Kornheiser a racist and not call Joe Morgan a racist. Most of his comments are a walking billboard for the angry blackman. I remember him saying playing for a black coach is every player of colors dream. He exudes such racist witicism and dislike for anyone of a different color from him. I was ambivalent to him prior to his announcing career. Now I can not stand his racist ways.
I love Madden and Dicky V. I think you have those two wrong. On Emmitt he is just so likeable I could not put him on this list, he may not be a great announcer but I really like him.
how can you leave Joe Theisman out??????? He was by far the worst and got replaced after a year on monday night because of his super-ability to also point out the basic facts of football.
Um..What about Pat Hayden? An ardent Notre Dame hater who called many games in the 80’s. Even ND haters will have to admit that Hayden hated them.
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Pretty solid list. I’d have to put Mcarver in the top 5, he’s awful.
Glad to see Don Cherry made it to this list of the ridiculous. The guy is such big sellout it’s not even funny! His usual routine on hockey broadcasts consists of, (pretending to)stand up for the people of Canada, stand up for Canadian hockey players while putting down those from other parts of the world and standing up for Canadian troops who are serving abroad. Although most of these thing good and well on their own, they go to commercial break and THERE HE IS HAWKING ANYTHING, from medicine to his own line of crappy hockey videos and all things in between. The worst part is that the rednecks here in Canada gobble it all up like flies on dog poop.
I didn’t go through all the comments here but I’m sure there is/will be at least one comment proclaiming what a great guy/Canadian he is.
What about Shannon Sharpe? We watch him just to goof on him…
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In addition to being a racist, kornheiser is an moron.