NCAA time of nostalgia for Gus Johnson
by Michael Hiestand, USA TODAY Sports
Now that it’s March, Gus Johnson is looking forward to calling action “with passion and stories and fervor that’s unmatched.”
Except that Johnson, who was synonymous with NCAA men’s basketball coverage until he left CBS for Fox after the 2011 tournament, is talking soccer.
Actually, “football” — as he calls it on-air — after so far working five Fox overseas games this season, including headliners like Manchester United at Real Madrid.
But Johnson calls Big Ten Conference tournament basketball Thursday and Friday on the Fox-owned Big Ten Network, before CBS picks up weekend coverage. And then, he’ll just be a viewer of broadcasts that he once worked and where he used to warn “here comes the pain” or noted play that was “as good as it gets.”
It isn’t easy for him to watch the NCAA tournament with a remote. “It’s emotional,” Johnson tells USA TODAY Sports. “It was a big part of my life for 15 years. The NCAA tournament made me. … Yes, it’s emotional. Yes, I miss it. Yes, I’d like to be a part of it.” But, he says, “this is a business. And I’m glad I’m at Fox.”
He also has a possible star turn coming in soccer: Fox inherits ESPN’s World Cup action starting with the women’s event in 2015 and men’s play in 2018.
Fox spokesman Dan Bell says Cup on-air assignments aren’t set: “That’s a ways away. This is the first step in Gus getting comfortable. Internally, everybody is happy so far.”
But don’t expect Johnson, who also calls Fox college football, to be a bundle of catchphrases on soccer.
“This has everything to do with me learning the game,” he says. “I don’t want to get into the habit of manufacturing something that’s not there.” He notes U.S. “soccer purists felt that at times the wrong people” — mainly American announcers — have been used on top international soccer. He’s not trying to make waves.
“Fans and officials hate the word ‘soccer’ and consider it disrespectful,” he says. “They think American football should be ‘handball.’ And it’s easier calling matches to not vacillate between ‘soccer’ and ‘football’ … [For more on College basketball time of nostalgia for Gus Johnson, click here.]
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