Football is changing. Trust me. Now I don't mean the game of football per se, it's the things that surround it -- the players, the fans, and the announcers, for instance. Enter Dennis Miller: He's joined the ex-players in the Monday Night Football booth to handle "color" commentary. He will also bring a new dimension to MNF, speaking from the point of view of the fan, not the expert...
Now as it stands, the fans today already know too much about the technical side of football -- now they want to be entertained as they watch. As an announcer Don Meredith was an original. He was the first ex-player to develop his own style for Monday Night Football. Since "Dandy" Don left, the announcers have all become clones of one other -- same clichés, same analysis, same mundane delivery. Putting a headset on a comedian will give the act of watching football a shot in the arm...
I met Dennis about a year ago in a restaurant in New York and was impressed with his knowledge of the sport. It's an interesting idea to have him in the booth because he works from observation, just like any amateur fan does. Now that sports have become major entertainment the producers need to keep the audience interested.
Having said that, I believe it was a mistake to premiere him in a small exhibition game, making his new position a bit anti-climactic. The guy can definitely pull-off the bigger games, and having something so new deserved a bigger launch, with a bit more special attention. From his days on Saturday Night Live (as well as on his own show now) there's no doubt that Dennis Miller knows how to perform to an audience.
But make no mistake; the game of football is much bigger than the announcers. It's not like people are going to protest watching the games because Dennis Miller is in the booth. Let's face it -- no one watches just for the announcers. In recent history, athletes have successfully crossed over to the acting business, so why not support actors announcing at sporting events? We'll have to see how it pans out, but I think it's an compelling proposal.
The difference today is that people watch sports much differently than they did in the past. New ideas must be tried and the fans will decide how successful they are. Who knows how a comedian will fare this season commenting on sports? He may not be the answer to all the fans of football, but he is definitely the right answer to "what's new?"
edmarinaro@sportshollywood.com
A Column by Ed Marinaro 
