Each day, leading up to the U.S. Open, we will profile an announcer from either NBC or ESPN.
As usual, Chris Berman will be the play-by-play announcer for ESPN's early round coverage of the U.S. Open. Sports bloggers have never been big fans of the Schwam, especially after Will Leitch and the guys over at Deadspin released these infamous "breakdown" videos.
ESPN tried to defend Berman, but there's not much you can say to help his case. Maxim named him No. 1 on its list of the 10 worst broadcasters in sports.
In spite of this, Berman is a pretty smart guy. He graduated from Brown University and recently received an honorary degree from the institution.
Berman told Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune in respone to the criticism:
It's unfair if people say I'm trying to make it my show. Then you haven't paid attention. Then you haven't done me fair. 'Cause I'm not. But I'm trying to be me and have a good time with it as someone who's an avid follower of the game; someone who's like most of the audience who are watching, a 16-handicap give or take, not a 3 (handicap) or a scratch.
I would think that's someone loaded for bear before I even come out of the woods, and I can't help that. . . . You should deliver your columns or your sportscasts in the way that you are. And so that's the way I am. So is it going to please everybody? No. I'm not doing the final round, either. You've got to remember that. I'm doing the early rounds.
