If you mean the English sports media, I've had my share of exposure to them. I find the difference between American and British sports commentary to be very striking. There still seems to be a tradition in the UK of not having 'regular guys' do your sportscasting, like it's some Walter Cronkite figure calling the match. Or the Sky Sports news desk has these two very proper readers, usually a nerdy guy and a deeply hot female, reading the sports news like it's the latest from the Middle East.

I feel like there's a need for American sports fans to really like and bond with their sports journalists, the Chris Berman phenomenon if you will, whereas in the UK it's more consistent animosity.

Who are the guys you actually feel add to the experience of watching a game/tournament? God knows I could never stomach Pat Summerall + John Madden calling gridiron, but apparently there was a large contingent who wouldn't have wanted it any other way; the two guys were almost inseparable from the total experience of watching football.

In terms of the media, I had more in mind the tabloid and print media, rather than the TV broadcasters, who tend towards the bland and predictable. As for who is indispensable, I feel tournaments aren't the same without RTE's panel. Sometimes you'll put up with a crap game just knowing that the half time analysis will be worth watching. They certainly add to the experience for me. Be interested to know what other people think. Which commentators actually enhance/are part of the experience of watching football on TV?

Chris Berman is easily the worst sports pundit I've ever seen. I'd sooner be trapped in a lift with Clive Tyldesley and Ronaldo than listen to that bellowing twat.

t's not as though he's actually done anything other than flop horribly at international tournaments, even when he was really good.

Fair point, up to a point. Though funnily Beckham's best tournament performance was arguably the one for which he is most vilified - at France 98; an excellent goal against Colombia, solid enough performances throughout, an arguably harsh sending off. He did OK that year, overall. He was no more culpable for England's exit then than his leaden performances in the key matches in 2002 and 06

Nishlord wrote:
Chris Berman is easily the worst sports pundit I've ever seen. I'd sooner be trapped in a lift with Clive Tyldesley and Ronaldo than listen to that bellowing twat.

Oh absolutely. I must not have anything in common with a lot of American football fans. Apart that is from not being much of an American football fan.

Nishlord wrote:
Chris Berman is easily the worst sports pundit I've ever seen. I'd sooner be trapped in a lift with Clive Tyldesley and Ronaldo than listen to that bellowing twat.

(cue Berman "what"?)

(stupid nickname)+BACKbackbackbackbackbackbackbackback = Berman gold

Bruno wrote:
Nishlord wrote:
Chris Berman is easily the worst sports pundit I've ever seen. I'd sooner be trapped in a lift with Clive Tyldesley and Ronaldo than listen to that bellowing twat.

Oh absolutely. I must not have anything in common with a lot of American football fans. Apart that is from not being much of an American football fan.

Bruno, NO ONE likes Chris Berman. ESPN just thinks people do, and/or he's been at the network forever, and he'll never voluntarily leave, and he now has too much power for them to let him go.

Not everyone likes Madden, but I do. Once you get past the annoying "BOOM" and his other shtick, he's really smart when it comes to football. I miss him and Al Michaels calling the NBC games (I remember listening to him and Pat Summerall, but Summerall is before my time for the most part).

Apparently everyone's hamstrings and gastronemiuses shrinks as they get older. So for anyone over 30, remember Beckham and the Real LT (Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants) and your very own JV (having pulled my hamstring for the first time ever last year in a race against 2 of my students) and be sure to stretch very well before exercise.

I'm also in the VERY large contingent that adored Summerall and Madden.

If I may, even if no one likes Chris Berman, he still illustrates the mentality that your sportscaster should be a salt of the earth, chummy, barbecue-y type. And I bet you a lot of fans in the Superfan mold like Chris Berman.

Madden though, forget it. I might like Berman more than Madden. At least Berman can speak in complete articulate sentences, or knows how the upcoming sentence is going to proceed once his mouth's open.

My ideal scenario is Madden writing down his analysis and Berman reading it. But that's just me, I expect.

EDIT: "reading it out loud", I should've put.

E10 Rifle wrote:
t's not as though he's actually done anything other than flop horribly at international tournaments, even when he was really good.

Fair point, up to a point. Though funnily Beckham's best tournament performance was arguably the one for which he is most vilified - at France 98; an excellent goal against Colombia, solid enough performances throughout, an arguably harsh sending off.

Did he play much in the first two games? Hoddle wouldn't start with him and I'm not sure how much he played as sub.

I hated dealing with Madden doing commentary (when I cared about Da Football). He's a lot better at analysis than most people realize though. Berman can't do analysis to save his skin, and he's an obnoxious commentator.

Amused that this thread is hijacked into a US focused topic.

Beckham? Couldn't care less whether he has anything to do with this summer's cup.

Steveee, you're partly right (damn my addled memory) - just looked it up and he came on in the first half for Ince against Romania and didn't get on at all against Tunisia (I was too busy recovering from a tear-gassing at the time and wasn't best placed to remember the formations). Then played against Colombia and Argentina.

I only remember because I had a straight West Ham supporting mate who was absolutely in love with him at the time and he would never stop going on about Hoddle wasting England's most talented player. Not a bad bit of mind games from Hoddle because Beckham was outstanding in the Columbia game, but it probably psyched him up a bit too much given what happened against Argentina.

Don't achilles tendons snap rather than break?

Snap or tear. A tendon can't really "break".

That's been bothering me ever since the thread went up.

Me too and I could brook it no further.

Let's be honest, we're all missing the bigger picturer here. Whatever your views of England, and regardless of whether you're a paid up member of englandfans or the AEB, this is terrible, terrible news.

Because we all know that Beckham is now going to be ITV's big name pundit for the finals.