Awful Announcing

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was in a car accident this summer that left him hospitalized. The incident became a major news story not just because it happened, but because of how it was covered. While the initial accident took place on July 14, it wasn’t reported on until more than a week later. Given the…

Nick Wright, a mainstay on FS1’s First Things First and host of What’s Wright? with Nick Wright, appeared for his regular spot on The Dan Le Batard Show on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and unintentionally caused a stir. Wright and the Le Batard crew started discussing Kevin Durant comparing LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers to when he signed with…

Since Tom Brady joined the media, he has somewhat surprisingly become one of NFL media’s most fervent detractors of modern quarterback play. Brady has repeatedly argued that the developmental system and hotshot play-callers have left QBs unable to read defenses and dictate plays, reducing the position to one based more on athleticism and execution than…

The Preakness Stakes is moving back one week in a major attempt to preserve the relevance of horse racing’s traditional Triple Crown. The Maryland Jockey Club announced that the Preakness will move back eight days, while the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes will also be pushed back eight days and will be run on Saturday. The move…

The modern American right-wing movement is transactional by its nature. Look no further than the man it has propped up as its beacon of values and character: Donald Trump. The absolute king of seeing everything in life as a transaction. If you can’t do something for him, he has no time for you. His presumption…

There is no love lost between Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James. That’s why it’s surprising to see the ESPN First Take star defend the newest member of the Philadelphia 76ers under any circumstances. James and Smith have a long history together and even shared an on-court confrontation during LeBron’s time with the Lakers over comments made…

The proliferation of sports betting and legalized gambling has led to a series of scandals across pro and college sports. Traditionally, players betting on their own games has been seen as a red line for all major pro sports. Apparently not so for the WNBA, though! The WNBA posted a video of star players Paige…

Connor Thomas got thrown to the wolves on Monday night, and the Mets’ broadcast booth could barely stomach watching it happen. The Braves reliever was left in to twist against New York’s lineup long after the outcome had been decided, and by the time Atlanta finally mercy-killed the outing, Thomas had been shelled for 11…

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo might not be the reason Jeff Kent is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but the longtime radio host was one of his biggest advocates. After a long wait, the all-time leader in home runs by a second baseman finally has a plaque in Cooperstown, with Kent being elected by…

The World Cup may be over, but ESPN is betting that viewers are still interested in soccer by televising six preseason matches featuring European clubs touring the United States. The matches will see Liverpool FC, Wrexham AFC, Leeds United and Sunderland AFC playing in Nashville, New York City, Chicago, Tampa, and Philadelphia. Of the six…

Linda Cohn leaving ESPN feels like a generation ago after seeing the number of prominent on-air personalities who were laid off this week. Cohn mutually agreed to part ways with ESPN last month after a tenure that lasted more than three decades. And as the longest-tenured SportsCenter anchor in ESPN history, Cohn received a proper…

Longtime ESPN women’s basketball game reporter Holly Rowe slid into the game analyst’s seat over the weekend in Dallas. Rowe joined play-by-play announcer John Schriffen on the call as the Los Angeles Sparks visited the Wings on Sunday afternoon, a clear indicator of Rowe’s unusually deep understanding of the game. A source tells Awful Announcing…

NFL training camps are starting to open up, the first real sign that football season is right around the corner. But one part of the NFL experience seems to be facing a bit of uncertainty this year. The in-season version of the popular NFL Films production Hard Knocks has yet to be announced, and its future…

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has had her hands full navigating the explosive growth of the league that has occurred since the arrival of the 2024 draft class, which brought the transformational presence of Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark. Since the Fever selected Clark first overall, the league has experienced record numbers in game attendance…

Bryson DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty by the R&A after the second round of The Open Championship on Friday at Royal Birkdale. And after the round, he even suggested that he’s uncertain about playing in the third round on Saturday. DeChambeau was livid with the ruling and was shown on the USA broadcast as…

Jeff Pearlman, the former Sports Illustrated writer and prolific sports biographer who has recently become most known for calling out other journalists, is getting a taste of his own medicine. This week, a sports content creator who goes by Velodus alleged that Pearlman, on his Press Box Chronicles YouTube channel, plagiarized much of a 2021 video…

Saturday Night Live cast member and comedian Marcello Hernández hosted the 2026 ESPY Awards at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City on Wednesday night. As part of his 10-minute monologue, Hernández had jokes about many topics in the sports world, including Bill Belichick and Tiger Woods. He also roasted Shane Gillis, who…

Defending tournament champion Argentina scored two goals in the final minutes to stun England with a 2-1 comeback victory on Wednesday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals. Trailing 1-0, Enzo Fernández drilled an equalizer for Argentina in the 85th minute. “ENZO FERNÁNDEZZZZZZZZZ! ARGENTINA! THEY ALWAYS FIND A WAY! AND THEY’VE TIED THE GAME!” John…

Mike Golic Sr. and Mike Golic Jr. are set to debut The Golics on ESPN Radio on Aug. 3, six years after the network parted ways with Golic Sr. and four years after Golic Jr. left to join him full-time. The new show airs weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET and was announced in…

The Boston Red Sox endured highly publicized air travel issues ahead of their 6-2 win over the New York Mets last Friday night, and Gary Cohen was not impressed. Mechanical issues on their team plane grounded the Red Sox for nearly 24 hours as they attempted to get from Chicago to New York last week.…

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are running it back. According to a report from Josh Carpenter in the Sports Business Journal — and later announced by Versant — both stars are confirmed to return for a second Optum Golf Channel Games, with the event moving to Wednesday, Dec. 16 on Golf Channel and USA Sports.…

On any given World Cup matchday, the tournament sprawls far past the edges of the television screen. In Kansas City, downtown becomes the epicenter, thousands packed into the Power & Light District angling for a cameo on the live Fox broadcast. In non-host cities like Washington, D.C., embassy-sponsored watch parties still spill out of restaurants…

There were some in the American media who hyped the USMNT to the moon as they moved through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, planting the seeds that they were capable of making a deep run, possibly even winning the whole thing. Following the U.S.’s 4-1 loss in the Round of 16 to Belgium, TSN broadcasters…

If there is such a thing as the Trump Curse, it received one of its strongest pieces of evidence yet on Monday night. After President Trump intervened (by his own account) to get FIFA to suspend American star Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban so that he could play in the Round of 16, the USMNT promptly…