It is no secret that growing up I had an interest in going into broadcasting. One of my heroes was ABC's
Howard Cosell (top). I first saw Howard doing reports at the 1968 Summer Olympics, then he would turn up on
"Wide World Of Sports" doing commentary and also announcing boxing matches. He was different than all others, giving his opinions, whether it was good or bad. With the advent of
Monday Night Football, Cosell would go on to become perhaps the most famous sportscaster of all time. No doubt he had the most distinct delivery, reflecting his native Brooklyn. His desire for social justice really struck a chord with me. I had planned to write a letter to Howard to tell him how much he had influenced my life. I never got around to doing that.
To that end, it was an honor to see Howard Cosell's grandson, Colin (lower picture), put me on the "blogroll" for his
"The Lighter Side Of Sports" site. I had met Colin through
facebook and
twitter and found that he is a talent in his own right. The Lighter Side contains commentary about sports issues, much of it hard hitting like Howard would, but with a sense of humor. Today with sports radio and what not, hard hitting sports commentary is easy to find and perhaps almost celebrated. Today's sports announcers have Howard Cosell to thank for pushing the limits.
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