Postby NickyJ » Wed Dec 29, 2021 12:27 am
NFL commentators are such a wide variety of characters. Some are the uber-professional ones, giving the driest, clearest commentary of what you see on the field. Others are extremely emotional ones, the type that scream like the fans would, making games feel like a 5 ring circus. They all have their different degrees of expertise. They can be wrapped so deeply in the game that you know they're smart, but don't understand half of what they're saying. Or they have no idea what they're doing, but you can feel that they love doing it.
All them have their place in games, but it's only a handful in a generation that can take all those qualities and wrap them up in one commentator who lives and breathes the sport, can tell you exactly what's happening, but still have fun with the game and help a fan enjoy it too. John Madden was one of those people. I wish I could have seen more of him in his prime when he worked his magic, but I feel fortunate to have seen even some of it.
There are people in the NFL who I take great joy in listening to, but there will never be another John Madden. I don't think the NFL would be quite what it is without John Madden there to make fans feel at home while the league changed so much over the years. Not without the friendly personality who greeted us on Sundays and Mondays, and not without his video game series that drew so many people like myself into the fold and let us feel just a little of the excitement the game of football can give.
