Top 10 Times Sports Announcers LOST IT on TV

It’s not just the professionals who get riled up. This footage depicts a high school football game between the Rockland Bulldogs and Abington Green Wave. Three minutes remained in the game, with the Green Wave up 12-7. The Green Wave picked up a missed pass and carried it for a touchdown, but the referee called it an incomplete pass. It was the wrong call, and the announcers lost their collective minds. One heatedly explains the rule while the other just screams himself hoarse. Perhaps the best part is the use of “Nuts and bolts, we got screwed!” To make matters even worse, the Bulldogs would go on to win the game 21-12, scoring two touchdowns after their possession was allowed to continue.

A legendary sportscaster, Chris Berman has enjoyed a long and illustrious career at ESPN, with a particular focus on football. He has hosted the likes of “SportsCenter,” “NFL Primetime” and “Sunday NFL Countdown,” and has helped turn ESPN into the household name that it is today. But even the pros lose their cool every once in a while. This footage was captured back in 2000 during a taping of “Monday Night Football.” It sees Berman going off on the crew for over a minute, criticizing their movements and supposedly unprofessional behavior. Berman’s frustration gets the best of him, and it is not a good look.

It’s always great when announcers drop all courtesy and let their true feelings fly. That’s what happened during this NBA game between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Celtics player Kevin Garnett picked up a technical foul and laughed about the unjust infraction. Unfortunately, this act of defiance got him ejected from the game. Announcer Tommy Heinsohn, who had been with the Celtics organization since the late ‘60s, was not happy about the call. Twice he called the referee’s decision “stupid,” and each one was pronounced with loud gusto and anger. The passion in his voice is clear, and yes, it is very, very funny.

We return to the Boston Celtics and Tommy Heinsohn for another world-class meltdown. This incident took place a few years earlier during a game between the Celtics and Phoenix Suns. The drama begins when Celtics player Paul Pierce takes a hard hit and falls to the ground. No foul is called, and Heinsohn repeatedly calls it “ridiculous.” And then it got even worse. The calls got more and more ludicrous, including a case of traveling that was not penalized. And Heinsohn got more and more incensed. After the game, Heinsohn called the officials “smug” and “awful” and claimed that it was the worst-called game of the year.

Unless it’s absolutely hilarious, most people can’t stand it when there’s interference in the middle of a sports game, especially sportscaster Howie Rose. Rose is prominent in New York sports and works as a radio broadcaster for MLB’s New York Mets. The Mets were in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers when a so-called “network stooge” interfered with the start of the game. ESPN was airing a feature on Dodgers player Justin Turner, prompting a very angry and passive aggressive response from Rose. And while Rose goes off, images are shown of players on the field, waiting impatiently for the “network stooge” to give the OK. They couldn’t wait to begin, either!

We return to our old friends the Boston Celtics yet again, only this time we’re focusing on radio broadcaster Johnny Most. Back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the Detroit Pistons enacted a very physical style of play, and they became known around town as The Bad Boys. Most got riled up during one game between the Pistons and Celtics, singling out Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, and Isiah Thomas for their aggressive gameplay. Included in the rant were the words “unnecessary,” “disgusting,” “yellow,” and “gutless.” So, suffice to say, Most was not impressed with how the Pistons were playing basketball.

Swearing is obviously not allowed on primetime television, so announcers have a professional obligation to refrain. But evidently it can be very difficult. During this MLB game between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, Sox pitcher José Quintana nearly hit Ben Zobrist in the leg. A White Sox batter had been hit earlier in the game, so the umpire believed that Quintana was aiming for Zobrist as a form of retaliation. He was instantly ejected from the game, prompting this legendary meltdown from White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson. Harrelson censors himself with a hilarious use of the word “beeping” before going off on the umpire. Now that’s how you stay both memorable and professional!

Dan Marino is a legendary quarterback, having played for the Miami Dolphins between 1983 and 1999. Following his retirement, Marino started work as a studio analyst on HBO’s “Inside the NFL.” During one episode, Marino begins talking about Terrell Buckley when he stumbles over his words. This mistake prompts a fierce reaction in Marino, as he contorts his face in anger and repeatedly slams his fist into the table. What follows are a few giggles, one scared “Jesus,” and a prolonged awkward silence. The man is clearly a perfectionist, and one rare blunder made for television gold.

Alexi Lalas is a retired soccer player who found success in the 1990s. Years later, working as an analyst, Lalas gave his take on the men’s national team as they attempted to qualify for the 2017 World Cup. And he was not happy with what he saw. During a game between the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy, Lalas personally addressed various members of the team and told them to play better. He concludes the rant by calling them “soft, underperforming tattooed millionaires”, and his co-host can only look on with a suppressed smile. We aren’t on TV, so we can laugh as loudly and as hard as we want.

A prominent trainer and commentator, Teddy Atlas knows a thing or two about professional boxing. So alarm bells start ringing when a curious outcome does not match the fight. This battle was between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez for the unified middleweight championship. Golovkin outboxed Alvarez, but the fight ended in a controversial split draw. Atlas wasn’t having any of it, and he let his emotions go during a post-match interview. He called the entire thing “garbage” before criticizing the judges and calling them “cowards.” He also expressed his desire to quit boxing altogether. When you’ve ticked off an announcer so much that he contemplates leaving the sport, you know that something must be amiss.