Deal With That!

In early March I came across a short blog post from Jack Bell (of the NYT’s Soccer Blog) about ESPN’s switch to an all foreign broadcasting team for the 2010 World Cup. There was an initial surprise on my part, particularly when I found out that J.P. Dellacamera, the most seasoned soccer play-by-play man that ESPN has, would not be spared from the switch, instead being moved to ESPN Radio for the duration of the matches. I’ve been watching J.P. Since my dad busted out his VHS tapes of the 1990 Finals to show me, my first experience being a match that JP himself called.

From a business perspective, its a solid move. It demonstrates the networks serious commitment to televised soccer in this country, something that has been increasing more and more in the last decade. These steps culminated with the expansive coverage of the 2008 European Championships, the first time all of the matches were televised in the States. The 2008 Euros also brought about the introduction of Andy Gray to casual ESPN soccer viewers, although those of us who watched highlights on Fox Sports Net during the 90′s and 2000′s or played FIFA video games were familiar with his one-of-a-kind accent and style.

ESPN’s seemingly sudden attempt to take soccer seriously stems from two sources: the inevitability of the sport as a viable television product, and media competition. The growth of Fox Soccer Channel and other soccer-only media ventures is something that mammoth ESPN had to take seriously. Remember, ESPN is a Disney subsidiary, and Mickey Mouse is not a fan of rolling over when there are new markets to explore.

So by offering the Brit-only commentating team the novelty of soccer is given a little more legitimacy to the fringe and casual fans. Can’t you imagine ESPN execs in pitch meetings saying things like: “They invented the sport, right?”.

That being said, as a diehard fan, someone who has been hooked on the sport since I was 8, and subsequently watched every US TV World Cup broadcast that I could, the move to replace my beloved JP Dellacamera and others leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

JP’s enthusiastic and smart coverage was exactly what the American fan needed to get accustomed to the “world’s game”, as was his familiar voice and knowledge of the game’s history. His historical intimacy was especially valuable in his coverage of the American teams through the years. With his long broadcasting history, he bore witness to many crucial American soccer moments as a commentator, something that “old-school” (read: 80′s babies) football heads like myself associate with the broad range of soccer memories that we hold dear.

Among the many great JP moments, his late 90′s Champions League coverage, primarily with Ireland’s Tommy Smythe, (who will also not be in the booth for ESPN TV broadcast’s this summer), was a perfect counterpart to ESPN’s expansion of world soccer coverage. JP presided over a number of the important matches as Manchester United made their Treble run in 1999, concluding with the epic final against Bayern, a match with a finale so thrilling it made no sense but to have someone other than JP making the calls.

To say that we remember the broadcaster’s words as much as the actual details of monumental sports moments is an understatement. I was amazed to watch Vancouver Olympic hockey coverage this winter and see Al Michaels’ face all over the place in ads and vignettes in memory of the “Miracle on Ice” hockey team. He is inextricably tied to that moment in sports history because of his amazing call. This has led to broadcasting immortality for him, and his presence as a useful tie-in for subsequent broadcasts geared toward those that lived through the “Do you believe in miracles???…YES!” moment.

Though Michaels was not on the booth team for NBC’s Olympic in-game commentary, he remained a part of their broadcasts through the games. Dellacamera’s TV presence has been taken away completely, instead he’ll be covering matches on ESPN Radio, while his new partner John Harkes has been left out of the festivities all together.

I’m not accusing ESPN of ruining the World Cup for me, but it will be a little like watching NFL football without John Madden. We can get through it, but you might catch yourself thinking about “the good ‘ole days.”

Here are some old school WC clips, including a look at a much younger ERNIE JOHNSON (!!!) of NBA on TNT fame as the lead studio man for the TNT’s 1990 WC Coverage

JP Short clip during a 1990 WC Match: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP4Q5_8Sx_0

Eric Wynalda Free Kick Goal 1994: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHtbb3yd9wM

Ernie Johnson in Studio 1990 WC for TNT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHB6vyqwm5k

James Mundia is a soccer player, coach, and enthusiast based out of Washington, DC