Due to his intense fear of flying, which he has tried and failed to overcome, ESPN TV commentator and former Washington Post sports columnist Tony Kornheiser is leaving Monday Night Football. He will be replaced by Jon Gruden, former NFL head coach for the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom he guided to a Super Bowl championship in 2003.
I’ve never liked Kornheiser on Monday Night Football so I welcome his departure, though I wish it had been for a different reason. Kornheiser’s columns were either funny or forgettable, but his radio program, which began in Washington, D.C. and then became national, was fantastic. Kornheiser’s disregard for the empty chatter of so much of sports talk radio — particularly the kind coming out of the mouths of players and coaches — was revolutionary and welcome. I’ve missed his show ever since he quit it to do MNF and I’d like to see him return to radio.
On MNF, Kornheiser was wasted. The format didn’t suit his strong suit — an irreverent sense of humor — and it highlighted his big weakness — a lack of expertise in football or just about any other sport. Kornheiser needs a format where he can really talk and tell stories — something that really isn’t possible on a show where a new play happens every 30 seconds and he is competing with two other broadcasters for air time. I hope Kornheiser returns to radio. He was great at radio and he would be again.
As for Gruden, I have no real opinion about him. Obviously, he knows what he’s talking about, but that won’t make him a good broadcaster. I probably would have sought out a defensive voice, since I think Ron Jaworski knows so much about offense. Also, why not try to find an African-American? Most of the league is black and there are a number of fine African-American broadcasters working in football.
Tags: ESPN, Media, Monday Night Football, NFL, Tony Kornheiser
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