On the Air: Brian Anderson’s unlikely rise and future at TNT Sports

Welcome back to “On the Air,” in which Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters’ on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry.

What do former SportsCenter anchor John Anderson and Hall-of-Fame pitcher CC Sabathia have to do with Brian Anderson becoming the voice of TNT Sports? As Brian tells it, quite a bit.

It was 2008 and Sabathia’s Milwaukee Brewers were on their way to clinching the franchise’s first playoff berth since 1982. Brian was the team’s TV play-by-play voice while John, a Wisconsin native, kept a watchful eye on the Brewers while doing SportsCenter highlights.

“All of a sudden, Brewers games are on SportsCenter every night and this SportsCenter anchor starts rolling in the sound of me calling these moments,” Brian recalled last year on “The Inside Wisconsin Show,” which John (no relation) co-hosts. “My phone blows up. I said was John Anderson anchoring? Yes. I was like there you go.”

The Brewers’ Wild Card run led to Brian getting a call from TNT Sports executives. In October of that year, he called the Brewers-Phillies National League Division Series for TBS. He has been with the company ever since, covering some of the most significant events in recent sports history.

Anderson was at the TBS microphone in 2010 when Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter in game 1 of the NLDS vs. the Reds. He was there in 2018 when then-Red Sox infielder Brock Holt became the first player in MLB history to hit for the cycle in a postseason game. Atlanta Braves fans still remember Anderson’s spirited calls of their 2021 NLCS triumph over the Dodgers.

Anderson was courtside when Warriors G Steph Curry broke the NBA record for career three-point field goals in 2021. He was also on the call in 2023 when LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Just last month, Anderson was present for another consequential event, when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in a five-set classic to win his second straight Roland-Garros Men’s Final.

Brian Anderson has become to TNT Sports what Mike Tirico is to NBC. He is the network’s trusted lead voice, present at seemingly every major occurrence.

On the surface, Anderson’s rise to the top seems at least somewhat unlikely. He isn’t the son of a broadcast legend like Kenny Albert or Joe Buck. His voice doesn’t thunder like that of a Kevin Harlan or Sean McDonough. He is not a sentimental storyteller like Jim Nantz and he doesn’t exude charisma the way Ian Eagle does.

Anderson’s most winsome trait is his “everyman” temperament. Despite the occasional error — like his missed call of a buzzer-beating shot in the 2019 Purdue-Virginia Elite Eight game — Anderson is well-liked because of his authenticity. One gets the sense that he genuinely enjoys every event he covers and feels privileged to be there.

That unique quality has lifted Anderson to the heights of the industry. And at just 54 years old, his future is promising. Despite losing the NBA, he will continue calling the biggest MLB games for TNT Sports, as well as college basketball regular season and tournament action, plus championship tennis.

Some good fortune may have gotten him his big break, but Anderson’s versatility, passion and enthusiasm figure to keep him on the upper tier of sports broadcasting for many years to come.

Plus: ESPN should invest in Mike Monaco

At just 32 years old, Mike Monaco is already one of ESPN’s most valuable play-by-play announcers. There is no sport he can’t call. Since joining the network in 2019, he has worked MLB, NHL, volleyball, lacrosse, football, softball, the Little League World Series and College World Series.

His most memorable call came in 2022, when Ole Miss took down Oklahoma to win the CWS: “From last four in to last team standing, Ole Miss has won the College World Series!”

Now, he is currently a part of ESPN’s coverage of Wimbledon.

In recent years, ESPN has missed on opportunities to hold on to young play-by-play announcers. At one time, Adam Amin, Jason Benetti and Joe Davis, — three of the industry’s best — worked for ESPN. All three have since left for Fox, and their respective profiles have only grown. Amin, 38, is the network’s #2 MLB announcer; Benetti, 41, is their #2 college football announcer; the Emmy-winning Davis, 37, is the voice of the World Series.

Talent as versatile as Monaco does not come around often. ESPN should learn from prior mistakes and keep him around. He is good enough now to supplant Karl Ravech as the voice of the CWS.