BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK . . . TO NORMAL
ESPN legend Berman adjusting to lesser role, more free time
C ROMWELL, Conn. — Chris Berman is hunkered over a 30-foot putt for par at the par-4 seventh hole at the TPC River Highlands, hoping to make a net birdie during media day for the Travelers Championship.
When the long putt curls short of the cup, Berman clinches his fists and belts out “C’mon Man,” a familiar catch phrase from one of his many segments on ESPN for more than three decades. His frustration over the putt is temporary. The bigger-than-life personality loves golf and understands he is in a good place, even if he won’t be talking football at ESPN for the first time in 31 years. Many of his colleagues were victims of massive layoffs last week, a truth that is hard to accept.
“Those were real people with real families,” Berman said. “I will miss the people who helped make us great, people whose work ethic helped make us great. Almost everyone who has been let go would qualify.”
Berman, a history major at Brown, joined ESPN in 1979, a month after it launched. As host of “Sunday NFL Countdown,” “NFL Primetime” and the NFL draft cov- erage, he became the face of football at ESPN — if not the face of the entire all-sports network. It rapidly reached unparalleled success.
“When I started in 1979 we were in 3 million homes,” Berman said. “Then it was up to 10 million, 40 million, then 110 million. Now it’s going the other way.”
Since August 2013, ESPN has lost 10.8 million subscribers and is now in 88 million homes. Changes and layoffs became inevitable. Tom Jackson, Berman’s side-kick for 29 years, was replaced in 2016.
Berman, meanwhile, signed a new multi-year contract with ESPN in January, reshaping his reduced role. He will host the NFL Hall of Fame inductions and appear on “Monday Night Countdown,” offering historical segments. He will also host “NFL Primetime” twice a year and do play-by-play on ESPN Radio for the MLB league division series.
“What people were saying when it was announced I wasn’t going to do football, I almost cried from hearing those things,” Berman said. “People were saying, ‘ This is my childhood.’ I’ve been at ESPN 38 years and did football for 31 years, and I’m honored that people started and ended their football day with Tom and me.”
For the first time in 37 years, Berman did not report on the NFL draft held last weekend. He touched base with his inner circle — Andy Reid, Pete Carroll, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco — but he insists he wasn’t interested in the draft any more than the average fan. He spent the week in New Orleans, where he teamed with Masters contender William McGirt in the Pro-Am before the PGA Tour’s Zurich Golf Classic.
“I was interested in the quarterback trades,” Berman said. “But I didn’t have to know who the eighthbest tackle was. I got my April back. The fall will be different.”
The golf course is becoming Berman’s second home. The first week of the 2017 NFL season he will be golfing in Northern Ireland, because he can. Though he is a familiar participant in the Celeb- rity Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, his presence is most appreciated by the organizers of the Travelers Championship, which will be held June 19-25 at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.
Since the 1990s, Berman has served as the tournament’s goodwill ambassador of sorts — using his celebrity, connections and oldfashioned hustle to promote the annual PGA Tour event. He has been the voice of the radio promotions for more than two decades and talks up the week to pro athletes of all sports with the hope of getting them to participate in the Celebrity Pro-Am — which has been part of the tournament’s legacy since it was the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open.
Through the years, celebrities such as Joe Pesci, Bode Miller, Bill Belichick, Bill Murray, Ray Allen, Tim Wakefield, Doug Flutie, Jim Calhoun, Geno Auriemma, Paul Newman and Kevin Ollie, have followed the legacies of Sammy Davis, Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason by participating in the Wednesday event.
“Most tournaments don’t have to worry about getting celebrities to play,” Berman said. “But it’s the legacy of this tournament. I’d like to think that’s still important.”
The Travelers partnership has been a good one. Andy Bessette, the executive vice president of Travelers, and tournament director Nathan Grube have raised the profile of the tournament, which has found a home the week following the U.S. Open. Former No. 1 players Rory McIlroy and Jason Day have committed to participate this year, along with two-time winner Bubba Watson and defending champion Russell Knox. Berman will greet them at the door.
“Chris has been a great partner in attracting the celebrities,” Bessette said. “He’s generous and humble and the people love him.”
Berman turns 62 on May 10, but still has the enthusiasm of a younger man.
“My career is not incomplete because I didn’t make it to 65 doing football,” he said. “I’m going to miss the action, and I’m going to miss the people. I’ll still watch the games because I watched them when I was 20 years old. I became a fan and then did [ESPN] for 40 years. Now I’ll be like anybody else.”