NFT: Olympic coverage - Bode Miller

The best former athlete covering any sport.

I saw on deadspin someone attacking his analysis and I was like - this is a a truly desperate attempt to be a hipster contrarian

agree with this. He's not only able to explain the tactical side of the sport, but he also talks about the emotional side, insight on the coaching and the behind the scenes things that take place.

He's been the best announcer I've heard in some time.

I'll also say that the curling announcers are damn good too.

agree 100%

His voice is low key but he clearly knows 100% what he's talking about.

but I've heard Terry Gannon announce quite a bit over the past two weeks and was trying to figure out where he was from. Then I saw the 30 for 30 on Jimmy V.

He was one of the NC state championship players!

And he's a lead announcer, not a color guy and is pretty good.

In comment 13838925 FatMan in Charlotte said:

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but I've heard Terry Gannon announce quite a bit over the past two weeks and was trying to figure out where he was from. Then I saw the 30 for 30 on Jimmy V. He was one of the NC state championship players! And he's a lead announcer, not a color guy and is pretty good.

FMIC, similar story here. He is one of the lead golf commentators for NBC and during the US Open last year, they kept showing him and I couldn't put it together where I remembered him from. A quick google search took me to his Wiki page and sure enough, it was the 30 for 30 that I remembered him from.

He has carved out a nice career in broadcasting.

He absolutely lost it when US Women won the sprint gold. What an amazing race and his emotions at the end just added to it.

Loved the commercial they ran on the woman who won gold where the people of her small hometown got up at 3am to meet and watch Olympics...

Seen two downhill events where he could almost make you feel the nuances and treachery of the course. He is subtle and I like that in today's media.

Gannon was a pretty good player on the NC State team. He does a bunch of golf play by play and is very good but can be a bit of a smart ass, sometimes when its not needed.

It’s so funny too because I think he was a skier who was always just on the edge of out of control but during the broadcast he’s so cool and calm. I’ve really enjoyed his coverage.

In comment 13838937 joeinct said:

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He absolutely lost it when US Women won the sprint gold. What an amazing race and his emotions at the end just added to it. Loved the commercial they ran on the woman who won gold where the people of her small hometown got up at 3am to meet and watch Olympics...

That was a thing of beauty! Not only did he lose his voice during the stretch run but he was losing his mind too! Great stuff! And I agree with the previous posts, Bodie Miller has been terrific and Gannon deserves so much credit transitioning from PGA golf to ice dancing and the rapport he has with Lipinski and Weir, especially, is humurous.

He has been excellent! Lots of great insight.

great guy to watch during his prime. A guy that's partying all night, the day before the race - then barely manages to stay in the track multiple times during the run and still wins it. That was just great fun to watch, every time.
Always super laid-back and charismatic during his interviews. I imagine he makes a great commentator. Would love if he was more involved with the TV coverage here in Austria.

In comment 13838937 joeinct said:

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He absolutely lost it when US Women won the sprint gold. What an amazing race and his emotions at the end just added to it. Loved the commercial they ran on the woman who won gold where the people of her small hometown got up at 3am to meet and watch Olympics...

Dont you think he sounds like Tony Romo?

needs to be pumped up a little bit. He sounds like Ben Stein in Ferris Buehler.

And when you consider the challenge of calling the Alpine events, with their relentless repetition of skiiers going down the same slope, Bode somehow makes it seem different from run to run. And it's because of his knowledge of nuances of the course, the racers, their equipment, their coaching--as mentioned above--that each run taken on its own, becomes a new race, just as it is for each skiier who tackles it.

He also seems to have an encyclopedaic knowledge of each skiier's strengths, weaknesses, emotional makeup, etc.

Good stuff!

In comment 13838925 FatMan in Charlotte said:

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but I've heard Terry Gannon announce quite a bit over the past two weeks and was trying to figure out where he was from. Then I saw the 30 for 30 on Jimmy V. He was one of the NC state championship players! And he's a lead announcer, not a color guy and is pretty good.

Hey, FMiC, hope all good.
Yes, spot on connection you made. I happened to tune into the Jimmy V 30/30 a couple of months ago, and I'm pretty sure it was Gannon holding forth in the Pub where that NCS championship squad was gathered to memorialize and share their emotions from that season and championship run. While Dereck Whittenburg (and maybe also Thurl Bailey) had most of the mike time, Gannon was clearly a firebrand, stoking them all up. Emotional to watch again after all those years, and the editing of the game tapes was great.

In comment 13839046 giant24 said:

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needs to be pumped up a little bit. He sounds like Ben Stein in Ferris Buehler.

But I find that preferable to an over the top Dickey V type analyst. He lets the athletes create the enthusiasm and not his commentary.

In comment 13839079 njm said:

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In comment 13839046 giant24 said: Quote: needs to be pumped up a little bit. He sounds like Ben Stein in Ferris Buehler. But I find that preferable to an over the top Dickey V type analyst. He lets the athletes create the enthusiasm and not his commentary.

It is a different kind of coverage: after all, we never see Bodie during his commentaries. But I agree with your pov. In fact, as over the top, risk taking skiier that Bodie Miller was, I'm surprised that he is so calm, so measured, must be the meds (:

Where is Bob Costas?

can't believe he's found so much to say over the course of a race.

In comment 13839079 njm said:

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In comment 13839046 giant24 said: Quote: needs to be pumped up a little bit. He sounds like Ben Stein in Ferris Buehler. But I find that preferable to an over the top Dickey V type analyst. He lets the athletes create the enthusiasm and not his commentary.

Excellent point njm. He's measured and not trying too hard to make a brand off of some gimmicky wording. Dicky V is insufferable in my opinion!

Day, a skier was going down just fine but Miller called him out, “I don’t like his approach, you can’t compete like this. He’s too cautious. He’s fine but you have to take a more aggressive line.” Sure enough the guy was like a full second off the pace. It was the call of an person who knows.

In comment 13839093 Stan in LA said:

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Where is Bob Costas?

And the answer is: "Who cares?"

Those two guys made those two sports very entertaining. I spent a whole afternoon early in the Games watching mixed doubles curling. It was compelling and entertaining. Hooked me!!

He could occasionally put a bit more energy in his comments, but I much prefer his calm mellow approach to the scott hamilton stuff. I wish there was a way to let him explain more about some of the technical stuff, but the races go so quickly I get why there isn't enough time.

His kids go to the same school as mine, so I see him around a lot. I've had very limited interaction with him, but based on what I've seen he seems to be a genuinely nice and well-mannered guy and a real family man. He attends all the school events and I often see him doing everyday dad things with his kids - like walking with them sitting on his shoulders and stuff like that. If you didn't know who he was, you would think he's just an average joe.

but team relay Cross country skiing. No shooting involved which is biatholon

announcing has been awful. Sounds like someone hopped up on speed (no pun intended).