Chris Berman | |
|---|---|
 Berman in 2007 | |
| Born | Christopher James Berman (1955-05-10)May 10, 1955 (age 70) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Brown University (B.A.) |
| Occupation(s) | TV, radiosportscaster,television personality |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | Work as co-host ofSunday NFL Countdown program onESPN (1985–2016) |
| Title | NFL studio host,ESPN / ESPNSportsCenter anchor, sports commentator |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955),[1][2] nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor forSportsCenter onESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network'sSunday NFL Countdown program from 1985 to 2016 andNFL Primetime from 1987 to 2005 and since 2019. He has also anchoredMonday Night Countdown,U.S. Open golf, theStanley Cup Finals, and other programming on ESPN andABC Sports. Berman callsplay-by-play of selectMajor League Baseball games for ESPN, which included theHome Run Derby until 2016.
A six-time honoree of theNational Sports Media Association's National Sportscaster of the Year award, Berman was instrumental in establishing ESPN's lasting popularity during the network's formative years.[3] He is well known for his variouscatchphrases and quirky demeanor.
In January 2017, ESPN announced that Berman would be stepping down from several NFL-related roles at the network, but would remain at the company.[4] In May 2021, Berman signed a multiyear contract with ESPN to continue to hostNFL Primetime.[5]
Berman was born inGreenwich, Connecticut,[6] and grew up inIrvington,New York, the son of Peggy Shevell (née Tenenbaum), who worked as a reporter-researcher forTime magazine, and James Keliner Berman, a corporate executive vice president.[1] He was raisedJewish.[7] During his childhood, he went to Camp Winnebago inFayette, Maine. He enrolled at theHackley School in 1970, and graduatedBrown University in 1977 with a degree in history,[8] where he was the sports director of the school's radio station,WBRU.[9]
.jpg)
Berman's sportscasting career began atHartford'sWVIT-TV as a weekend sports anchor. He joinedESPN in 1979, a month after its founding, and has been with the network ever since. He is one of ESPN's longest-tenured employees, and the only remainingSportsCenter anchor from 1979. He spent 31 years as the host of bothSunday NFL Countdown, and ten years hostingMonday Night Countdown. In addition, during the NFL season, he hosts the eveningSportsCenter (airing generally at either 7:30 PM Eastern Time or 11 PM Eastern Time) along withHerm Edwards, who replacedTom Jackson for the 2016 season. Berman often appears onSportsCenter at night (midnight to 1 a.m.) hosting brief segments called "Chris Berman's two-minute drill". From 1988 to 1989, he hosted ESPN's first game show,Boardwalk and Baseball's Super Bowl of Sports Trivia.[10]
By 1993, Berman was described as the leader of the ESPN team and one of the most recognizable sportscasters in the business. "The true test is when Chris is on, turn down your TV and open your window. You will hear him. The microphone is nothing but a prop," said fellow ESPN anchorKeith Olbermann.[3] In December 2008, theAssociated Press ran a long retrospective on Berman's 30-year career with ESPN.[11] "He is our most important person," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's vice president of production. "He is the face of ESPN," he added. At the time, Berman noted that his contract with ESPN would expire on his 55th birthday, and that he did not see himself broadcasting into his 60s. In April 2010, however, ESPN extended Berman's contract for an undisclosed period of time, only noting that it was a multi-year deal.[12] The contract was eventually revealed to expire at the end of 2016.[13]
Between 1995 and 2006, Berman hostedMonday Night Football as well as live coverage of three Super Bowls forABC Sports. He continued to hostMNF when ESPN got the rights in 2006.
Berman was a season ticket holder for theHartford Whalers and was a strong supporter of the team's staying in Connecticut. He occasionally makes reference to the team, sometimes even by humming the team's theme song, "Brass Bonanza". Berman has also become a strong backer of theBuffalo Bills in recent years. In an interview with Buffalo Bills reporter and play-by-play voiceJohn Murphy on July 26, 2012, Berman acknowledged that you could call him a "Bills Booster".[14] This sentiment is also echoed in Berman's on-air phrase, "No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills!"[14] In addition, he has been involved with several events relating to the Bills, such as team founderRalph Wilson's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, andBruce Smith's Bills Hall of Fame induction in September 2016. Berman signed a new contract in January 2017 for a reduced schedule, but remains at ESPN.
On October 29, 2018, Berman served as the on-field emcee forThurman Thomas's number retirement ceremony. In May 2019, Berman called a three-game series for theBoston Red Sox Radio Network alongside longtime Red Sox broadcasterJoe Castiglione.[15]
In 2019, Berman and Tom Jackson re-united for a revival ofNFL Primetime, streamed exclusively on ESPN+.[16] In addition, they have also hosted the "fastest three minutes" segments on the Monday Night Football halftime show. Berman continues to present this segment solo as of the 2025 season.
Berman signed a multiyear contract with ESPN in May 2021 to continue to host NFL PrimeTime.[5] In the ESPN contract announcement, Berman said "ESPN has been almost two-thirds of my life. I'm honored that what I do still works."[5] He signed a new contract in May 2025 that runs through 2029, the network's 50th anniversary.[17]
Berman is well known for his variouscatchphrases and player nicknames.[18]
Berman adopts the persona of hisalter ego, "TheSwami," to make predictions onSunday NFL Countdown. For seven consecutive years "The Swami" predicted a Super Bowl between theSan Francisco 49ers and theBuffalo Bills, one or the other – but never both – making it during that span.[29]
Many have enjoyed Berman's approach over the years, and he has won various awards. A 1990Sports Illustrated feature article cited traits that struck a chord with his TV audience: playfulness, humor, and aFred Flintstone-like persona. The nicknames were called a key to his success. His genuine love of sports was also noted.[30]
However, he has also drawn a good deal of criticism. Over time, his style came to rub quite a few viewers the wrong way.[31] His detractors find him overly bombastic - and worse, unfunny. A "blowhard...tossing out corny clichés" was one description.[32] ColumnistPhil Mushnick viewed his "clown act" as forced, self-serving, and stale.[33][34][35] "Schtick" is another label that has been applied.[36] APaste article from 2017 noted that the reasons for his appeal were also what made him eventually grow tiresome.[37]
Berman appeared inAdam Sandler's 1998 comedyThe Waterboy as well as Sandler'sThe Longest Yard in 2005, playing himself as the play-by-play announcer of the prison football game. Berman also appeared as himself inNecessary Roughness in 1991,The Program in 1993 (though was a little out of place doingcollege football),Little Big League in 1994, as well asEddie andKingpin in 1996. He made a cameo appearance in the 1995Hootie and the Blowfish video for the single "Only Wanna Be With You." Berman made a cameo in the 2013 comedyGrown Ups 2. Berman appears inNutrisystem commercials withDon Shula,Dan Marino,Terry Bradshaw, andMike Golic, using some of his trademark phrases and nicknames to show how much weight they lost. He also appears in commercials for repair insurer Carshield.
He appears as the host ofSportsCenter inESPN NFL 2K5; he is also an unlockable free agent.
Berman married Katherine "Kathy" Alexinski in 1983. The couple had two children.[1][38]
Kathy Berman died in a traffic collision inWoodbury, Connecticut, on May 10, 2017.[39][40] Katherine Berman was driving drunk when she crashed into the back of another vehicle, killing herself and the other driver.[39] She was driving approximately 82 mph in a 45 mph zone, and had ablood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.26.[41]
Berman, born May 10, 1955, resides in his native Connecticut.
Links to related articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
