Chris Berman
Christopher ("Boomer") James Berman (born May 10, 1955, in Greenwich, Connecticut, brought up in Cheshire, Connecticut) is a sportscaster, who anchors SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown, Sunday NFL Countdown, Baseball Tonight, U.S. Open golf, the Stanley Cup Finals and other programming on ESPN and ABC Sports.
Early life and education
He attended the Hackley School and Brown University, from which he graduated in 1977.
Career
He joined ESPN in 1979 a month after its founding and has been with the network since. He is well known for his various catch-phrases and player nicknames. Some of his well-known nicknames include: The "Well Dressed" Amani Toomer, Curtis "My Favorite" Martin, Mike "You're in Good Hands with" Alstott, Bert "Be Home" Blyleven, Eric "Sleeping with" Bienemy, Joseph "Live and Let" Addai, Ben "Winter" Coates, Ricky Proehl "Shampoo", Jake "daylight come and you gotta" Delhomme, Andre "Bad Moon" Rison, Albert "Winnie the" Pujols, Mark "Yellow Rose of" Teixeira, and Jason "You Can't Always Get What" Avant, Danny "Erie" Kanell. [1] Berman also goes by his alter ego, "The Swami," when making prognostications on Sunday NFL Countdown. He is the new host of Monday Night Countdown, replacing previous host Stuart Scott. He also has appeared on ESPN football video games.
In February 2008, videos of Berman on the ABC Monday Night Football set appeared on the video sharing site YouTube. The videos, filmed in 2000, when Berman anchored the MNF halftime show, depicted Berman using off-color language and flirting with a female member of the broadcast crew during commercial breaks. [2] Berman acknowledged the authenticity of the videos, but commented, "Do I wish I didn't say a few things nine years ago? Yes. But if that's the worst thing I ever did, I can live with it." [3]
In other media
- Berman lent his voice to the videogame ESPN NFL 2K5 and hosts the pregame show. As a hidden feature, Berman appears as a free agent quarterback in season mode, and also has his own team in the game, the Bristol Swamis, named after Bristol, Connecticut, where ESPN headquarters are located and his nickname, "the Swami."
- Berman appeared in the remake of The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler in 2005. He played himself as the play-by-play announcer of prison football game. Berman also appeared as himself in Necessary Roughness in 1991, Little Big League in 1994, and Eddie and Kingpin in 1996, as well as the 1995 Hootie and the Blowfish video for the single, "Only Wanna Be With You."
- Berman has cameoed on various episodes of Even Stevens as a SportsCenter anchor.
- During a segment of the "Chase the cheese" event on an episode of Sesame Street, Berman voiced the sports announcer.
- Berman had a cameo appearance in the MTV animated series Clone High. He, along with Dan Patrick provided commentary for the school's basketball game until he was eaten at the end of the episode by the rival school's mascot.
Honors
- National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association National Sportscaster of the Year (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001)
- American Sportscasters Association Sportscaster of the Year (1995 through 1997)
- The Cable Guide Best Cable Sportscaster 1987, 1988, 1990
- 1997 "TV's Most Fascinating Stars" from People
- 2001 Maxwell Football Club's Reds Bagnell Award
- 2007 Honorary Degree Brown University. Mr. Berman is a member of the class of 1977 and received an honorary degree as part of the 239th Commencement Ceremonies.
- 2008 Maxim Magazine Voted #1 of 10 Worst Sports Broadcasters. He earned this with his self-referential manner, as if he believes that viewers tune in to see him broadcast, rather than watch the game or highlights he is presenting.[4]
Career Timeline
- 1979-present: Sportscenter Anchor (occasionally since 1990)[5]
- 1985-present: NFL Countdown Host[6]
- 1985-present: NFL Draft Host[7]
- 1986-present: U.S. Open Nightly Show host[8]
- 1987-2005: NFL Primetime Host[9]
- 1987-2005: Sunday Night Football Halftime Host[10]
- 1990-present: MLB on ESPN Play-by-Play (selected games)[11]
- -present: Home Run Derby Play-by-Play[12]
- 1996-1999,2006-present, and during [[NFL playoffs] between 1998 to 2005: Monday Night Football Halftime Host[13]
- 2003-present: U.S. Open host[14]
- 2003-2004: NHL on ESPN and NHL on ABC Studio Co-Host (Stanley Cup Finals)[15]
- 2006-present: Monday Night Countdown Host[16]
Personal
Berman and his family live in Cheshire, Connecticut. [1] He is an avid fan of the Buffalo Bills and is reported to have a very close friendship with former Bills quarterback and Hall of Fame member Jim Kelly.
See also
Notes
- ^ Funny2
- ^ Two bad - Sports, Nevada, National Football League - baltimoresun.com
- ^ On Sports Media: 'Big Brother' watches, listens - 02/22/2008 - MiamiHerald.com
- ^ Maxim story
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnBio?type=name
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