2020 was a strange year for the sports media world, largely because of the still-raging pandemic that disrupted live sports calendars (and far more significant parts of our everyday lives) around the world.
With that in mind, handing out sports media awards for the year is something of a different task than in previous years. With so many announcers calling games remotely, player and coach availability reduced to Zoom chats, and travel slashed for many journalists, judging people in the industry and the tentpole events of the year just can’t be done the same way. Here’s our best attempt at assigning sports media awards for 2020, a year we won’t forget any time soon for all the wrong reasons.
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Play by play announcer of the year: Brian Anderson
Anderson’s year started off with play by play work for the NBA on TNT, which was supposed to lead in to a role on NCAA Tournament action. Of course, the tournament was cancelled, and Anderson (like many other broadcasters) fell into something of a purgatory over the next three-plus months. He then returned to game action in his regular role as the play by play voice of the Milwaukee Brewers before entering the NBA’s Orlando bubble and calling several weeks of games, including playoff matchups. Anderson then left the NBA’s bubble to join the quasi-MLB playoff bubble, calling the ALDS and ALCS for TBS in San Diego. And just for the hell of it, he finished off his year by serving as the play by play broadcaster for Turner’s coverage of The Match, the match play golf competition.
Throughout it all, Anderson was excellent. Going from one bubble, and one sport, to another in a matter of days is no easy feat, and Anderson effortlessly pulled it off. Several another announcers went from one sport to another this season, but Anderson, jumping from one bubble to another across the country, stands apart from his peers this year.
Game analyst of the year: Tony Romo
New year, same acclaim. Tony Romo is great at his job, and unlike many broadcasters, he actually seems to enjoy himself. Romo’s sheer energy when calling games leaps out of the screen, helping fans understand the how and why of plays as opposed to just the what. Romo’s abilities as an analyst are unmatched, and there isn’t much more to say about him. We’re lucky to have him.
Network of the year: CBS Sports
It was a typical year for CBS in that the network crafted top notch coverage of the events it covered, didn’t rock the boat too much, and left viewers satisfied. CBS wasn’t a lightning rod network like ESPN, a hot take factory like Fox, or a network seemingly resistant to major change like NBC. Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are arguably the NFL’s best broadcast crew, and Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson aren’t far behind on the college football front.
CBS also received plaudits for its soccer coverage, notably the NWSL and UEFA Champions League. After picking up the Champions League following the spring shutdown, CBS admirably put together a strong studio show that has only gotten better, and while the coverage is paywalled on CBS All Access, the quality of the app and the CBS coverage has made fans feel better about paying (as opposed to Turner’s uh, unique coverage and B/R Live’s clunky interface).
The network also shook up some of its NFL broadcast teams, hiring Charles Davis away from Fox to pair with Ian Eagle and flip flopping Rich Gannon and Trent Green (now working with Greg Gumbel and Kevin Harlan, respectively) and actually ending up in a better position. That’s not a typical situation, and the network deserves credit for taking such risks in the first place.
Most underrated broadcaster: Ian Eagle
We really don’t spend enough time talking about how great Ian Eagle is, from the NFL to the NBA to college basketball. He’s an incredibly underrated broadcaster that is often overshadowed by his brilliant colleagues, including Jim Nantz and Kevin Harlan. On most other networks, Eagle would be the top guy for any of the sports he calls. But at CBS and Turner, he’s further down the pecking order.
That makes the possibility that Eagle could leave CBS all the more interesting, but it’s tough to see him in a situation where he isn’t overshadowed. At Fox, he would play second fiddle to Joe Buck and Gus Johnson. At NBC, he wouldn’t be able to leapfrog Al Michaels or Mike Tirico. Over at ESPN, he could easily be the voice of Monday Night Football, but Mike Breen and Dan Shulman would get top billing over him when it comes to basketball.
So for now, we’ll just have to be content with Eagle’s status has a fantastic broadcaster working for networks that have plenty of other great announcers. He’s a big fish surrounded by other big fish in a large pond.
Call of the year: SLAM DIEGO
Who would have ever imagined that a random mid-August game between the Rangers and Padres would lead to the best call of the year and one of the most memorable moments of the 2020 MLB season? Don Orsillo’s jubilant call of SLAM DIEGO will live on in Padres lore for years, and in a year that lacked much sporting drama, this pedestrian game gave us something to dream on.
Rising star: Adam Amin
Amin left ESPN for Fox Sports this year, and his star immediately began to rise. Fox immediately had Amin call regular season MLB games for the network, and also slotted him into their NFL broadcasting hierarchy (working with veteran Mark Schlereth). Additionally, Amin called MLB Division Series games for Fox, was named the new play by play announcer for the Chicago Bulls, and has started calling college basketball games for his new network.
In just a few months since leaving ESPN, Amin has seen his profile elevated to a staggering degree by Fox. It seemed like that Amin had hit a ceiling at ESPN, and that he would only be able to increase his standing at the company if senior figures departed. But Amin took the initiative on his own and made the decision to leave the network, and it’s paying off in spades so far. Based on his career track at Fox, it wouldn’t surprise me if his assignments continued to grow in stature.
Sports Media Analyst
Joe Lucia has been covering sports media since 2011, and is a fan of the Ravens, Braves, and Manchester City. He was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA, but now makes his home in southern California with his wife.