Having a part-time, semi-retirement job with a house in Hawaii to escape to might be enough for some, but maybe not Chris Berman. The longtime sportscaster might have an expanded role at ESPN for the upcoming NFL season.
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That's right, the former "Sportscenter" anchor and "Sunday NFL Countdown" host is in talks with The Worldwide Leader in Sports to have a bigger role, according to the New York Post.
Love him or hate him, pro football is better when Chris Berman is part of it. pic.twitter.com/rRgI7cFvVB
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 16, 2018
No deal is done and this wouldn't be a full-time role, but he would definitely appear more often on both aforementioned programs and it's all made possible because of ESPN's new management. Berman's role was reduced by ex-ESPN president John Skipper in January 2017.
One of the most legendary on-air personalities in the network's history might be making a kind of comeback.
Whoop!
And why?
Because ratings dropped significantly after he left. With the 63-year-old Berman gone off "Sunday NFL Countdown" for the first time last season, the numbers were down 12 percent, per the NY Post.
C'mon Man!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_shwMK_9FVU
According to the report, there is interest on both sides, and the hope is for Berman could work a quarter of the upcoming NFL season. He would be making more contributions, but prior plans on some weekends, such as attending the Ryder Cup in France this September, don't make full, weekly segments possible.
One thing that might be possible is a rant like this, though:
Berman, known for his catchphrases and nicknames "Boomer" and "The Swami," joined ESPN a month after its initial launch in 1979. He was an integral part in the network's rise with SportsCenter and Sunday NFL Countdown as well as Monday Night Countdown and Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby.
Berman could... go... all... the... way... back to a bigger role with the company that made him so famous.
