Gus Johnson and Tom Brady would be best broadcast duo in history | Opinion
The first time I met Gus Johnson was in Jacksonville some years ago. There are only two times I've ever reacted like a giddy fan when meeting a famous personality. The first was Nichelle Nichols, who plays Nyota Uhura in "Star Trek," at a convention (yeah...I'm a Trekker nerd). The second was Johnson.
I've been a Gus groupie for some time (not in a creepy way) because no broadcaster shows such a sincere passion for their job as he does. Johnson meshes intellect and excitement in a way no other broadcaster has ever done. He's one of the few broadcasters, maybe the only one, who I want to hear, as much as I want to watch the game.
Yes, Johnson made some mistakes broadcasting soccer games.
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In case you haven't noticed yet, this is a Gus Johnson appreciation post. Put some Johnson calls in the background as you read this and enjoy.
When USA TODAY Sports had a broadcaster draft, I elbowed by fellow panelists out the way like I was Wes Unseld.
Johnson doesn't yell; he exclaims. He does what we do when watching games from our couch. When I watch a big play, I jump up and down in my living room, spilling my beverage on my Star Trek pajamas. Johnson does the same thing, minus the Trek pajamas, and in a professional way, that draws you into the game.
"May-field...winds UP....DOWN. THE. FIELD...HOLLY-WOOD!"
When Johnson is on, turn the volume up, not down, you knucklehead.
He is criminally underrated. He is the best of the best.
And Johnson, who is with Fox, paired with Tom Brady, would be a dream duo.
You may have heard of this Brady guy. Played football. Won one or two Super Bowls. Something like that. Brady also recently signed a deal with Fox to join the network after his playing days are over in the year 2045.
But if Brady retires from football before that, he and Johnson would make a remarkable team. Maybe the best sports broadcast team we've ever seen.
Will it happen? Maybe not. Should it happen? Hell, yes.
"Over the course of this long-term agreement, Tom will not only call our biggest NFL games with Kevin Burkhardt, but will also serve as an ambassador for us, particularly with respect to client and promotional initiatives," Fox Corporation Executive Chair and CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement. "We are delighted that Tom has committed to joining the Fox team and wish him all the best during this upcoming season."
Johnson calls Fox's primary college football game each Saturday in the Big Noon slot and called a handful of NFL contests last season. He said last month he won't be on NFL games in 2022 because he's finishing a fellowship at Harvard's Advanced Leadership Initiative in the fall.
No offense to Burkhardt but pair Brady with Johnson for all the games at some point in the near future, once Johnson has finished his fellowship.
I don't believe Brady will be as understated or, well, boring as some believe. He's actually quite funny, and I think he'll share more insider information than maybe people think. He'll tell some good stories that we haven't heard before because he likely has millions of them.
Combine that with Johnson's excellent play-by-play skills and his pure joy in broadcasting games, and they are a dream duo.
Well, at least my dream duo.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gus Johnson and Tom Brady would be best broadcast duo in history
