Following his departure from ESPN, broadcaster Brent Musburger will "host the main afternoon show" on a SiriusXM radio channel for his upstart Vegas Sports Information Network, according to sources cited by Todd Dewey of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. The first show is "expected to debut during Super Bowl weekend, and VSIN will air daily radio shows, with plans to become a 24-hour network at some point this year." Musburger’s brother, Todd, and nephew, Brian, are "working for the network, which plans to launch its website (VSIN.com) on Monday." The website will "feature sports betting content and live streaming videos." Musburger also debuted a new Twitter feed, @brentmusburger (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/26). The AP's Tim Dalhberg wrote it is "appropriate that Musburger join his 'friends in the desert,' since he was the first broadcaster to regularly make references to betting lines during games." His association with gambling "goes back to the pioneering 'The NFL Today' show he hosted on CBS" in the '80s with Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder and Phyllis George (AP, 1/25). ESPN’s Bob Ley noted Musburger and NBC's Al Michaels “may have led the way in changing the national consciousness” regarding gambling by dropping references to the practice in their broadcasts (“OTL,” ESPN, 1/25).
SUGAR & SPICE? In L.A., Tom Hoffarth notes Musburger and ESPN contend fallout from comments made during the Sugar Bowl about embattled Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon are "unrelated to a decision to retire from sports broadcasting." Musburger’s resume has "had its share of head-shaking moments." ESPN did an "admirable job" yesterday in trying to "couch this resignation as a time to launch a celebration of Musburger’s career" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 1/26). In Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw writes the 77-year-old Musburger's retirement announcement was "an oddly timed move." However, if people "remember Musburger for his Mixon comments after he's gone, they've missed the big picture." Cowlishaw: "It makes me wonder what they were looking live at for all these years" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/26). SPORTING NEWS' Bill Bender wrote Musburger toward the end of his career "became sort of a caricature for the television audience." However, if Musburger is "one of the best -- and he is -- then it's OK to remember him in that light." Musburger joins Verne Lundquist and Keith Jackson -- the "voices that defined college football in the last generation" -- in retirement (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 1/25).
STAYING TRUE TO HIMSELF: The AP's Dahlberg wrote Musburger's retirement signals an "end to an era where announcers were not generic cookie cutters, and part of the fun of tuning into a game was to hear what they had to say." There was "usually something that caught Musburger's attention that was worth hearing about" (AP, 1/25). In West Palm Beach, Dave George writes sports media today too often is "just a lot of noise, whereas on a good night and with just the right twist of big-play magic, an old pro like Musburger could turn it into music." George: "If you found him hokey at times, fine. This is sports, not geopolitics" (PALM BEACH POST, 1/26). In Iowa, Mike Hlas wrote his main takeaway from Musburger's career is that sports are "supposed to be fun." Hlas: "Celebrate the great and the exciting, enjoy the characters and the show, have a lot of laughs along the way" (THEGAZETTE.com, 1/25).
PRAISE FROM ESPN COLLEAGUES: ESPN’s Suzy Kolber said Musburger was “one of the most recognized and prominent voices in the history of sports television” (“NFL Insiders,” ESPN, 1/25). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser: "Nothing said big game like a Brent Musburger call” (“PTI,” ESPN, 1/25). ESPN's Jeremy Schaap: “You knew it was big when Brent was on, you knew when you heard ‘looking live’ that professional football was here” ("OTL," ESPN, 1/25). ESPN's Mike Greenberg: "For the last 30 years, or maybe more, he has been sort of ubiquitous with the huge sporting events. The phrase ‘You are looking live’ basically always meant something really big was about to happen” ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 1/26). ESPN’s Adnan Virk said Musburger is one of “broadcasting’s all-time greats.” ESPN’s Joe Tessitore called Musburger an “American icon.” Tessitore: “If the ‘Rat Pack’ had a play-by-play guy and a live event host, it’d be Brent Musburger. He’s got a lot of Sinatra swag to him now" ("College Football Live," ESPN, 1/25).
