Dallas Stars play-by-play broadcaster Dave “The Voice” Strader has passed away after a battle with bile duct cancer; he was 62 years old. Strader had been the play-by-play voice of the Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, and Detroit Red Wings throughout his career and had also called games for ESPN and NBC.
You can read more about his passing and his career here.
Many people had their doubts when it was announced that Tony Romo would be calling NFL games for CBS this season. However, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback has proved all of his doubters wrong as he has become must-watch television by predicting plays before they happen.
You can read more about Romo’s success in the booth as well as see examples of him predicting plays before they happen here.
ESPN College Football analyst Ed Cunningham has resigned from his position as a college football color commentator, citing concern over concussions and other football-related injuries. “In its current state, there are some real dangers: broken limbs, wear and tear,” Cunningham said. “But the real crux of this is that I just don’t think the game is safe for the brain. To me, it’s unacceptable.”
You can read more about Cunningham’s decision to step away here.
After witnessing major layoffs at companies such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and Yahoo Sports as well as the switch to all video content at Fox Sports, many sports journalists seem to be leaving the industry in search of jobs that are considered more stable or secure.
Since the number of journalists leaving for this reason cannot really be quantified, AwfulAnnouncing.com spoke to several journalists who did make the decision to change careers; you can read more about the trend away from the industry as well as the individual stories of the journalists interviewed here.
After briefly serving as a coaching intern with the Kansas City Chiefs, former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will be joining Fox Sports as an NFL Studio Analyst. Vick will serve as an analyst on FOX NFL Kickoff and will also appear on other FS1 shows.
You can read more about Vick’s new job here.
In what is seen by many as a no-win situation, ESPN has pulled commentator Robert Lee from the broadcast of the University of Virginia’s football opener on September 2nd. Lee has been reassigned to the Pitt vs Youngstown State game on the same day which can be seen on ESPN3. This decision was made after protests took place in Charlottesville, Virginia over the potential removal of the Robert E. Lee confederate statue in Charlottesville.
You can read more about ESPN’s decision and the controversy around it here.
CBS Sports has announced its 8 pairings for the upcoming NFL season. The lead broadcasting team will include Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson who will start with calling the Raiders/Titans game Week 1. They will call high profile games each Sunday and will also call “Thursday Night Football” games.
You can find all of the pairings as well as the list of who will be announcing your favorite teams game for the first 4 weeks here.
The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame has announced it’s 2017 class. The 10-person group is highlighted by broadcasters Brent Musburger, Chris Berman, and Bill Raftery as well as long-time MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.
You can read more about the Sports Broadcast Hall of Fame as well as see the full list of inductees here.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup racing after this season, but he won’t be stepping away from the sport completely. His exact broadcasting duties have not been announced yet, however in a statement Earnhardt said that he will be a part of every NASCAR Cup Race broadcast but will not have a large role in the Xfinity Series broadcasts since he owns a team that will compete.
You can read more about Earnhardt’s new career here.
Jim “Bones” Mackay worked with Phil Mickelson for 25 years, but after announcing they were parting ways last month, Mackay announced he will join both NBC and The Golf Channel as an on-course reporter.
Mackay will start his new job at the British Open and will also work the FedExCup playoffs and the Presidents cup as the tour continues. You can read more about his new job here.