There may be some athletes that will be making comebacks from physical and emotional setbacks that will eventually be worthy of attention and accolade as this year unfolds. But they’d be hard-pressed to have me as excited and rooting for the one which was revealed on several outlets this past weekend as a result of the reporting of the ever-diligent Andrew Marchand. Per DEADLINE’s Bruce Haring:
Thom Brennaman will be returning to the airwaves this fall as their lead play-by-play broadcaster for nationally televised college football games this coming season, according to The Athletic. Brennaman will make his season debut Aug. 31 when Oregon State meets Idaho State. Brennaman, age 60, was sidelined from broadcasting since 2020, when he made a homophobic slur on a hot microphone during a Cincinnati Reds game, thinking he was off the air.
Brennaman was informed that his comment went live, and began an apology, only to revert to play-by-play mode when Nick Castellanos hit a home run. That moment became an infamous baseball social media meme ever since. Brennaman was immediately taken off air by the Reds and a month later, announced his resignation.
Now let’s unpack exactly where Brennaman and the world at large were when he committed that unfortunate and, yes, disgusting gaffe. And we’ll even allow you to consider the full context of what he uttered, which USA TODAY’s Mike Freeman was determined to remind the world of when he issued he own insights as part of his weekly DEI-driven opinion piece that dropped this morning:
Thinking he was off the air, he uttered a gay slur during a live broadcast of the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals game. He referred to Kansas City as “one of the (gay slur) capitals of the world.”. His later remarks: “I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart that I am so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith, as there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, that will be a home run, and so that will make it a 4-0 ballgame.”
This occurred on the Reds’ regional sports network broadcast of a pandemic season game played in an empty stadium. Thom Brennaman is not only an experienced broadcaster, he is the son of the Reds’ answer to Vin Scully, the late Marty Brennaman, who literally educated a generation of loyal hometown fans with the exploits of the Big Red Machine and their 1990 world champion heirs, ever gushing “THIS ONE BELONGS TO THE REDS!!” as a tagline. He had wound his way back to Cincinnati after baseball stints in Chicago and Arizona, and was one of FOX Sports’ top-tier NFL announcers. In many ways, he had similar pedigree and accomplishments as Joe Buck, the de facto face of the network, a fact I know from many years of researching its viewers both national and local. His mid-stream switch to play-by-play, which apparently was his final straw, entailed him doing the job he was supposed to have been doing for the audience that was paying to hear him describe the rare happy events of a truncated, noiseless ever-mediocre summer for Reds fans.
But it was said while the world was especially testy, still reeling from the effects of the George Floyd incident and its reactions to it. Anything even remotely reflective of prejudice could create enough viral vitriol to demand that heads be rolled, and we were frankly too beaten down to even attempt a counterpoint. In a matter of days, enough pressure was put on FOX at every level to eviscerate Brennaman’s entire career.
But as was reported in Brennaman’s hometown Cincinnati Enquirer this morning via REUTERS, with the distance of time and emotion at least somewhat in the rear view mirror, Brennaman threw a hail mary simply trying to get some sort of work:
He told The Athletic that he contacted Nexstar Media Group about potential work, not expecting to hear back. But Nexstar, the parent company of The CW, reached out.
The network is expanding its sports coverage, adding events such as college football and basketball, as well as LIV Golf and the long-running show “Inside the NFL.”
The CW looked into Brennaman and asked respected professionals about him, including Bob Costas.
“Neither Thom nor anyone else denies that he had a serious misstep,” Costas told The Athletic. “A misstep for which some consequence would have been appropriate. But the price he has paid is beyond disproportionate. Especially when you consider that he had a fine reputation prior to the incident, and took every proper step to make amends subsequent to it. His return to the booth is overdue and I am sure the audience will be happy to hear his voice again”.
And as THE NEW YORK POST’s Justin Tasch, Marchand’s former colleague, added in his write-up that dropped last night:
Brennaman said he had reached out to people in the gay community and has gotten support from Cyd Zeigler, the co-founder of the LGBTQ+ sports website Outsports.
“I pumped my fist in the air and said, ‘Finally!’ ” Zeigler told The Athletic regarding Brennaman’s new job. “Somebody gave this guy a chance that he deserved. I’m so proud of The CW.”
So the group that ostensibly would have the longest memory and largest axe to grind is all fine with Brennaman moving on with his life. But for the ever-angry Mike Freeman, that was not nearly enough. Witness this reaction from his piece of this morning:
People deserve second chances but it doesn’t really seem like Brennaman has done much to earn one. But there’s a bigger issue and it has to do with first chances.
The CW had an opportunity to hire a fresh face. Maybe a woman. Maybe a person of color. Someone looking for a break or even a veteran looking to expand their opportunities.
Again, second chances are a good thing. I’ve gotten them. You have, Many have. Did it have to be this one for Brennaman? When there are so many talented people out there? In many ways, this is a real DEI hire, at least in the way right wingers talk about DEI. DEI has been a huge talking point on the right (and an ugly one). There are exceptions, of course, but it would be rare for a woman or person of color to have such a public, disgraceful, and meme’d flameout and get a job of this magnitude afterward. This is true Didn’t Earn It.
Now I know Freeman isn’t dumb nor disconnected. So I’m sure he knows that Nexstar’s chairman Perry Sook has supported and contributed to the Trump campaign. And I can’t help but wonder if perhaps some of the acrimony he expresses in this particular case might not have some connection to that.
I also know that the company that employs him has had a history in broadcasting. So I further suspect he knows quite well that this business is and will forever be bottom-line oriented. And if someone with Brennaman’s experience and recognizability can help an entity trying to find a foothold in national sports with a largely secondary package of games, perhaps more so than an unknown female, POC or someone with perhaps not as extensive a resume as Brennaman, can he seriously look anyone in the face and make the same sorts of insinuations that he shoved down the throats of the remaining readers to what’s left of USA TODAY that we’ve quoted above?
I’m one the remaining Luddites that still receives USA TODAY’s once-ubiquituous, far thicker and far more timely print editions. The ones that now use larger type and wider column widths to make fewer articles spread out over the 6-8 pages of what was once a 20-page, stat-laden sports section. Long before Mike Freeman was hired.
I wonder how many subscriptions, how many digital followers, has Freeman’s work and attitude resulted in? How many fans does he really have that actually buy his paper, not just read his occasional X-eets?
I’d offer that defines Didn’t Earn It a lot more than anything Thom Brennaman may have said or done nearly four freaking years ago.
I’m truly beyond exasperated at the likes of those like Freeman who are forever angry, feeling denied, feeling nothing but permanent expulsion is the only course of action against someone who makes a mistake and then actually does spend time to at least attempt an apology. Had Castellanos not made the mistake of actually doing something positive which a professional broadcaster and a Reds fan felt in the moment was worthy of attention, perhaps the hue and cry may not have been as amplified.
I almost feel I have to ask–how many TV gigs has Freeman or his friends applied for, and were they given reasons why they weren’t hired? And were any of them satisfactory?
What is wrong with the most qualified person, regardless of age, ethnicity or history, getting a chance at a job, Mike? This isn’t the first time you’ve triggered me like this, and I feel it won’t be the last. As you yourself have said, you’ve gotten plenty of second chances. And I suspect you will get yet another one even after this.
But you better believe I’m rooting like hell that Thom Brennaman makes this comeback opportunity count, and perhaps might make you at least think twice before you ever take a stand this tone-deaf ever again.
Courage…