Jim Nantz Re-Signs With CBS Sports

Vandalman

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Legendary broadcaster Jim Nantz is re-signing with CBS Sports, according to the Sports Business Journal. How long he will stay with CBS Sports in this new deal is undisclosed.

Nantz, 61, has been with CBS Sports since 1985, and has become the network's top voice on the NFL, golf (including The Masters) and college basketball.

His current deal is believed to pay $6.5 million per year but expires this spring. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported several months ago that Nantz wanted to meet or exceed the deal given to Tony Romo, who is reportedly earning around $17 million per year.
https://www.si.com/media/2021/03/25/jim-nantz-reportedly-re-signs-with-cbs-sports
 

allstonite

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He’s only 61?!? Not sure why but I assumed he was much older and would start to be phased out in the next few years. We’re stuck with his smarmy Peyton worship for a long time
 

Dotrat

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I still can't stand that he could never pronounce 'Wilfork' properly--he always called him Vince 'Wilferk.' And in his NFL broadcasts he always comes across like a guy who'd rather be calling golf.
 

BaseballJones

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Yes, legendary. The guy - like him or not - is a TITAN in the sports broadcasting business, and has been for a LONG time.
 

Van Everyman

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I don’t think I agree. Al Michaels, sure. But Nantz, for all his breadth, doesn’t have a signature moment with 1/8 of the impact as “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” or even a signature game call I can remember (I’m assuming there’s a Tiger Woods one in there but I don’t watch enough golf to know and think being the GOAT Masters announcer doesn’t qualify you for legendary status outside of that sport regardless).

His partnership with Romo has been good but all his time with Sims was largely unremarkable.

BTW I like Nantz fine and have always thought the “He hates the Patriots!” angle is way overblown (he clearly liked Peyton and had business dealings with him). He’s a solid voice and def. carries weight in the booth compared to most other announcers today. But legendary is a step too far.
 

johnmd20

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I don’t think I agree. Al Michaels, sure. But Nantz, for all his breadth, doesn’t have a signature moment with 1/8 of the impact as “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” or even a signature game call I can remember (I’m assuming there’s a Tiger Woods one in there but I don’t watch enough golf to know and think being the GOAT Masters announcer doesn’t qualify you for legendary status outside of that sport regardless).

His partnership with Romo has been good but all his time with Sims was largely unremarkable.

BTW I like Nantz fine and have always thought the “He hates the Patriots!” angle is way overblown (he clearly liked Peyton and had business dealings with him). He’s a solid voice and def. carries weight in the booth compared to most other announcers today. But legendary is a step too far.
The reason Nantz has no signature call is because he fucking sucks and is a smug, self important asshole.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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I don’t think I agree. Al Michaels, sure. But Nantz, for all his breadth, doesn’t have a signature moment with 1/8 of the impact as “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” or even a signature game call I can remember (I’m assuming there’s a Tiger Woods one in there but I don’t watch enough golf to know and think being the GOAT Masters announcer doesn’t qualify you for legendary status outside of that sport regardless).

His partnership with Romo has been good but all his time with Sims was largely unremarkable.

BTW I like Nantz fine and have always thought the “He hates the Patriots!” angle is way overblown (he clearly liked Peyton and had business dealings with him). He’s a solid voice and def. carries weight in the booth compared to most other announcers today. But legendary is a step too far.
"Hello, friends, and welcome to a tradition unlike any other" is pretty signature, IMO.
 

Phil Plantier

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Age 61 would mean he got his first CBS job at 25? I wonder if there were a few lost years along the way...

I don't think he's had the impact of Dick Stockton or Dick Emberg, but I don't find him annoying. I'd rank him about 5th or 6th in current NFL play-by-play announcers.
 

cshea

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"Hello, friends, and welcome to a tradition unlike any other" is pretty signature, IMO.
That's just a line he says at the beginning of a broadcast. I guess it's a signature because he says it all the time and it's become his thing, but to me a signature call is an announcer calling a moment live and unscripted. The most famous Masters calls have come from Verne. I guess the best one Nantz has was Mickelson's winning putt in 2004, but I had to watch a clip to remember what he said (Is it his time....YES!")

The Patriots have played roughly a million games with Nantz at the helm and I can't really recall a single call of his. I know a lot of people have disdain for Joe Buck but I can at least remember a bunch of his calls of big Patriots moments. Maybe that's just luck of the draw. Buck got the Falcons SB, Michaels the Seattle SB and Nantz got the Rams. But you'd figure after all these years there'd be more memorable Nantz calls then there are. I guess the KC AFCG is it (Hello Super Bowl!)
 

Van Everyman

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I love that the Jesse James play is one of his greatest calls.

Again: I think he's fine and don't share the hate for him. I was just objecting to the idea that he's a "legendary broadcaster." I mentioned Michaels already. Howard Cosell is a legendary broadcaster because he changed the way people think about the role of sports in society. Vin Scully is legendary because of his voice and longevity. Jim McKay was a fucking legend. Marv Albert is a piece of shit human being but pretty legendary I suppose. And then there are other people: Dick Enberg had signature line and longevity, pretty legendary. Brent Musberger kind of sucks in a lot of ways but hosted an important show that defined the studio Sunday football show ... borderline legendary. Even Frank Gifford feels somewhat legendary bc he hosted a hugely important show in the history of sports, had a distinctive voice and worked well with a lot of different guys.

Nantz? He's a guy who has just called a lot of games in a number of sports, all competently.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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I love that the Jesse James play is one of his greatest calls.

Again: I think he's fine and don't share the hate for him. I was just objecting to the idea that he's a "legendary broadcaster." I mentioned Michaels already. Howard Cosell is a legendary broadcaster because he changed the way people think about the role of sports in society. Vin Scully is legendary because of his voice and longevity. Jim McKay was a fucking legend. Marv Albert is a piece of shit human being but pretty legendary I suppose. And then there are other people: Dick Enberg had signature line and longevity, pretty legendary. Brent Musberger kind of sucks in a lot of ways but hosted an important show that defined the studio Sunday football show ... borderline legendary. Even Frank Gifford feels somewhat legendary bc he hosted a hugely important show in the history of sports, had a distinctive voice and worked well with a lot of different guys.

Nantz? He's a guy who has just called a lot of games in a number of sports, all competently.
Nantz has anchored Masters coverage for over 30 years. He's the voice of that tournament. There's no reason he can't be considered among all the announcers you mention just for that. Throw in being the lead guy for the Final Four for nearly the same period, and the lead NFL guy on CBS for 20+ years and it seems more than reasonable to put him in that tier.

You name a lot of guys for being pioneers in one way or another. At some point, all the pioneering is done and you have to recognize excellence for those that had no choice but to follow those pioneers.
 

Van Everyman

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Minor correction: Nantz wasn't the lead NFL guy at CBS until 2004, when he traded positions with Greg Gumbel.

I still think he's far more of a "guy" than a legend, but maybe you like the Masters more than me.
 

shawnrbu

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When you consider Skip Bayless was being paid $5 million per year (got a raise to $8 million per year earlier this year), Nantz at $6.5 million per year was a bargain.

Steve Levy must be flexing today in the mirror. Levy is still the frontrunner to call the Super Bowl for ABC in a few years.
 

jaytftwofive

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I don’t think I agree. Al Michaels, sure. But Nantz, for all his breadth, doesn’t have a signature moment with 1/8 of the impact as “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” or even a signature game call I can remember (I’m assuming there’s a Tiger Woods one in there but I don’t watch enough golf to know and think being the GOAT Masters announcer doesn’t qualify you for legendary status outside of that sport regardless).

His partnership with Romo has been good but all his time with Sims was largely unremarkable.

BTW I like Nantz fine and have always thought the “He hates the Patriots!” angle is way overblown (he clearly liked Peyton and had business dealings with him). He’s a solid voice and def. carries weight in the booth compared to most other announcers today. But legendary is a step too far.
"Simon says, NCAA Champs".......or maybe that was Packer. I mean that's the best I can come up with. That and the Tiger Masters 1997 one. Ironically, a few weeks apart.
 

jaytftwofive

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I don't think he's as good as Musburger who I still don't why he was relieved of his CBS College play by play for the tournament at the end of the 1990 season. I mean Nantz was 31 and Brent was not that old???
 

Granite Sox

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The whole thing with giving away his necktie to his “most outstanding” NCAAM player is barf-inducing and what I think of with Nantz. His Peyton worship was over-the-top and disproportionate to the praise he has (rightly) shown Brady based on rings. Other than the nauseating “Hello friends...“ (a massive step down from “You’re looking LIVE...”), he really doesn’t have a catchphrase or signature call. 35 years in prime broadcasting positions is praisewothy, but I think he’s far from HOF quality.
 

Marciano490

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When I was a kid, I’d go to Baskin Robbins and get a bowl with a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of French vanilla. That bowl is Jim Nantz. He couldn’t be less dull if he were created in a lab by TV execs taking all the least interesting parts of famous sportscasters then stripping away any remaining charisma and personality.

I wouldn’t let Jim Nantz narrate my coma. But good for him getting paid.
 

Bowhemian

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When I was a kid, I’d go to Baskin Robbins and get a bowl with a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of French vanilla. That bowl is Jim Nantz. He couldn’t be less dull if he were created in a lab by TV execs taking all the least interesting parts of famous sportscasters then stripping away any remaining charisma and personality.

I wouldn’t let Jim Nantz narrate my coma. But good for him getting paid.
Holy shit. That last sentence nearly killed me. Vanilla ice cream indeed.
 

jaytftwofive

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When I was a kid, I’d go to Baskin Robbins and get a bowl with a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of French vanilla. That bowl is Jim Nantz. He couldn’t be less dull if he were created in a lab by TV execs taking all the least interesting parts of famous sportscasters then stripping away any remaining charisma and personality.

I wouldn’t let Jim Nantz narrate my coma. But good for him getting paid.
No not that bad, LOL. Seriously, he's better then boring.
 

jon abbey

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When I was a kid, I’d go to Baskin Robbins and get a bowl with a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of French vanilla.
Can you remember what your thinking was here? Did you eat one whole scoop then the other, or alternate spoonfuls?
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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I think he's better then Joe Buck. Yet I don't mind Buck for baseball. And I never found any anti-Patriot bias or ultra pro-Peyton for Nantz.
Really though? I'd take Buck over Nantz for anything but golf. At least Buck makes SOME reaction during the game, even if it is misguided and he sounds pompous half the time. The pairing with Romo may be obscuring how dead-ass Nantz was when paired with Simms.

Not that I really care about the announcers for football all that much if I have a rooting interest, but for a replacement level game I'd take Buck. But I suppose if you are of the mind that like referees you don't want to notice the announcers, then Nantz would be the guy.
 

Average Reds

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The whole thing with giving away his necktie to his “most outstanding” NCAAM player is barf-inducing and what I think of with Nantz. His Peyton worship was over-the-top and disproportionate to the praise he has (rightly) shown Brady based on rings. Other than the nauseating “Hello friends...“ (a massive step down from “You’re looking LIVE...”), he really doesn’t have a catchphrase or signature call. 35 years in prime broadcasting positions is praisewothy, but I think he’s far from HOF quality.
This just about sums it up for me about Nantz.

He’s a much less talented, slightly younger version of Bob Costas.
 

jaytftwofive

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Really though? I'd take Buck over Nantz for anything but golf. At least Buck makes SOME reaction during the game, even if it is misguided and he sounds pompous half the time. The pairing with Romo may be obscuring how dead-ass Nantz was when paired with Simms.

Not that I really care about the announcers for football all that much if I have a rooting interest, but for a replacement level game I'd take Buck. But I suppose if you are of the mind that like referees you don't want to notice the announcers, then Nantz would be the guy.
Yes I guess in some ways Buck can be more exiting. Nantz doesn't do baseball so that's why I like Buck for baseball but for football I prefer Nantz.
 
I think Nantz has real vocal talent. And I think he expresses that talent most perfectly in his college basketball work: he's very smooth in calling normal plays, knows how to get excited without getting overwrought in big moments, and plays off of Raftery really well. It's a shame that he and Raftery didn't become CBS's #1 pairing years ago. (I reckon there's an alternate universe in which CBS kept the NBA rights and Nantz could have become a legendary NBA talent.) I don't think Romo is as good a football partner for Nantz; for all of Romo's great analytical qualities, his babbling style doesn't bring the best out of Nantz. And the same can equally be said for Nantz and Faldo in golf, except that Faldo's analytical prowess isn't anywhere near Romo's.

I don't think you can get to be where Nantz has gotten in the business without being a networker and a politician par excellence. What I think rubs people the wrong way most about Nantz - myself included - is that Nantz's on-air personality reminds you of this indisputable fact more than most if not all of the top commentators of his or probably any other generation. And you can see hear this most obviously at Augusta National. Other good golf commentators (e.g., Pat Summerall) manage to call The Masters sounding respectful and reverential; Nantz sounds oily. Or, if you prefer, he sounds like
a smug, self important asshole.
So, while I've always thought @johnmd20 is totally off base in refusing to acknowledge any of Nantz's talent, I can still appreciate his take on Nantz if I concede that for some people, personality is the most important factor in a commentator. And between his oily/political qualities and his cheap puns at the ends of important games/tournaments, Nantz's personality doesn't make him sound like someone I'd want to spend a lot of time with in a pub, to put it charitably. For random reasons I wound up going down a YouTube rabbit hole last night and watching some of Rich Beem's career highlights, and when Beem made his final putt to win the PGA Championship in 2002, Nantz's first words were "Rich, and famous." That seems about as good an epitaph for Nantz's career as anything I can come up with, doesn't it?
 

johnmd20

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So, while I've always thought @johnmd20 is totally off base in refusing to acknowledge any of Nantz's talent, I can still appreciate his take on Nantz if I concede that for some people, personality is the most important factor in a commentator. And between his oily/political qualities and his cheap puns at the ends of important games/tournaments, Nantz's personality doesn't make him sound like someone I'd want to spend a lot of time with in a pub, to put it charitably. For random reasons I wound up going down a YouTube rabbit hole last night and watching some of Rich Beem's career highlights, and when Beem made his final putt to win the PGA Championship in 2002, Nantz's first words were "Rich, and famous." That seems about as good an epitaph for Nantz's career as anything I can come up with, doesn't it?
I didn't think it was possible to hate Jim Nantz more than I already do.

I was wrong. Anything is possible!

"Rich. . .and famous" sucks so much, Jim Nantz' career should have ended that day. And it should have ended in death, with Beem murdering him in a justifiable homicide.