NEW YORK, NY — The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame induction ceremony has it all each year with sports announcers, television and sports league executives, and everyone from the technical side of television in attendance such as cameramen/women, engineers, sound technicians, producers and directors.
The movers and shakers of the sports television business gathered last Tuesday at the New York Hilton to honor the luminaries of their industry for the 2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The evening started with Lee Corso, the recently retired colorful panelist on ESPN’s popular Saturday noon “College GameDay” football studio show, being honored. Corso, who is 90, could not travel to New York, so ESPN’s lead college sports voice, Chris Fowler, made the acceptance speech on his behalf.
In what had to be the most overdue honor of the evening, 93-year-old Bill Rasmussen, the founder of ESPN, was inducted into the Hall. Chris Berman, who has been with ESPN since its inception in 1979, stood in for Rasmussen. He told the audience Rasmussen’s original goal was a modest one; namely providing coverage of Connecticut sports on cable. When RCA engineers informed him that their satellites could beam sports programming all over the US, ESPN was launched. Berman pointed out that it was Rasmussen who approached NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle about putting the NFL Draft on television for the first time.
Image Credit: Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
“Why would anyone want to watch that? It would be like watching someone read the names in a phone book!” Rozelle incredulously replied.
The late Greg Gumbel was part of the original morning man at WFAN when it was located at the Kaufman Studios in Astoria. He was also the first Black American to call play-by-play on a Super Bowl telecast.
Greg’s brother, Bryant, has been battling health issues, so his longtime partner on CBS’s “Selection Sunday” telecast for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Seth Davis, gave the acceptance speech. Davis elicited laughs when he revealed his only disagreement with Gumbel was their Rolling Stones vs. Bruce Springsteen debate. Gumbel was an enthusiastic fan of Mick, Keith, and the rest of the guys, while Davis was in the Boss’s camp.
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David Levy ran Turner Sports for 23 years. During that time, he was able to obtain broadcast rights for every major sports property except for the NFL. It was Levy who put together the impactful basketball studio show “Inside the NBA,” which stars Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith who grew up in Lefrak City and graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School. After leaving Turner, Levy founded Horizon Sports Experiences which has created the 3-on-3 women’s professional basketball league, Unrivaled.
The most touching moment of the evening was when former Madison Square Garden president, and Neponsit native, Joe Cohen, who was inducted into the Hall in 2016, received a replacement award because his original was lost in last winter’s Pacific Palisades fire in which his entire home burned down. “I am very appreciative to be the only person to ever be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame twice!” Cohen quipped.
You can love or hate the Dallas Cowboys, but what cannot be argued is their owner, Jerry Jones, has enriched the National Football League’s profits exponentially. He was inducted last week into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame for his acumen in negotiating television contracts for the league. It was Jones who got the NFL to agree to allow Fox Broadcasting, which was only in existence for six years, to replace CBS as the television rightsholder for the National Football Conference in 1993.
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He also teamed up with Netflix for a reality series about the most famous pep squad in history, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. “Making the Team” has long been one of that streamer’s most popular shows.
More from the 2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame induction ceremony
I spoke with Jerry Jones before the ceremony. I asked him about the flack he took when the Cowboys replaced Coca-Cola with Pepsi-Cola as the team’s official soft drink in the 1990s. Coke had a stranglehold on professional sports at the time. As is frequently the case, he was ahead of the curve. Pepsi is now the official soft drink of the NFL.
“The Pepsi executives were so excited about their partnership with the Cowboys that they filmed a video of me kicking a can of Coke out of the stadium for their employees,” Jerry told me with a broad smile.
SNY Mets play-by-play voice, and Flushing native, Gary Cohen, narrated the video highlighting the lengthy career of Curt Gowdy, Jr. as a television sports executive. Gowdy was a senior vice president at SNY from 2005 through his retirement in 2022.
Peacock launches new series, “The Rise”
NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, has launched a new series, “The Rise,” which looks at the explosion in interest in women’s sports.
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The WNBA, National Women’s Soccer League, and the Professional Women’s Hockey League, will get documentary treatment. Actor Reese Witherspoon is an executive producer of “The Rise.”
Barstool Sports partners up with Netflix
Barstool Sports, which is known for its edgy take on athletics, has signed a deal with Netflix. The streamer will show video versions of some of Barstool’s popular podcasts. Included in the deal are “The Ryan Russillo Show,” “Pardon My Take,” and “Spittin’ Chiclets.”
Both Giants and Jets part ways with team’s defensive coordinators
This has not been a good year for New York NFL team defensive coordinators. Two weeks ago, the Giants gave the pink slip to Shane Bowen, while last week, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn relieved Steve Wilks of his duties last Monday.
Donald Trump makes news in the Sports World
Current US president, and Jamaica Estates native, Donald Trump, made news in the sports world last week.
Professional wrestler, and Long Island native, Mick Foley announced he was leaving World Wrestling Entertainment after Trump made those detestable remarks about Rob Reiner’s horrible death. Foley cited the close relation the WWE has with him, as the reason for his departure.
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Mike Francesa reported that national politics rocked the Mets clubhouse last summer. According to Francesa, Lindor abhors Trump, while Brandon Nimmo is a big supporter of his.
“Marty Supreme” out now in select theaters
It will be interesting to see whether the sport of table tennis gets a big boost from the release of the film, “Marty Supreme,” which is already getting Oscar buzz.
Timothee Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a 1950s hustling New Yorker, who is determined to become the Babe Ruth of table tennis. Marty has a motor mouth and is not averse to separating the unsuspecting from their cash in matches. He is all id and has no conscience. Despite being a true anti-hero, it is hard not to root for him.
The film benefits from cameos of non-actors. WABC Radio and Gristede’s owner John Catsimatidis and Kevin O’Leary from ABC Television’s “Shark Tank,” play potential benefactors, while former NBA Hall of Fame members George Gervin and Tracy McGardy also have small parts. That fancy girl from Flushing, Fran Drescher, plays Marty’s mom.
Image Credit: A24 Films
“Marty Mauser” liberally borrows events from the life of the late table tennis legend, Marty Reisman. No one, however, should believe this film portrays how Reisman, who remains the best-known table in his life.
Oscars to stream on YouTube TV beginning in 2029
YouTube TV, which is owned by Google, shocked the entertainment world when it was announced it will be the sole place to watch the Academy Awards starting in 2029. ABC Television has been the home for the Oscars for more than fifty years.
While it may not get the attention that Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount Plus, and Apple TV do, YouTube TV is not afraid to take big swings. It is the home for the NFL’s Sunday Ticket which allows fans to watch out-of-market games.
CBS’ “Hollywood Squares” returns for second season on January 6th
The reboot of “Hollywood Squares,” hosted by CBS “NFL Today” personality and former NFL wide receiver, Nate Burleson, returns for its second season on CBS on January 6.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle
