The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will be the stars of Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. But it will be Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and the rest of the CBS broadcast responsible for shining the light on the players taking center stage in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Romo, once considered the rising star of the broadcast booth (with the celestial body-sized contract to match), has faced his fair share of criticism of late for his highly emotional and at-times erratic style of commentary.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned NFL analyst enamored fans with his fire from the broadcast booth but has since seen and heard attempts to turn down the heat from those same fans.
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus Comes To Tony Romo’s Defense
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus, one of the men responsible for hiring Romo in the first place, recently spoke out about the 43-year-old announcer. McManus appeared Friday on SiriusXM Radio with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
Russo asked McManus about the criticism Romo had been facing and whether Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast could have lasting implications. McManus agreed that the game carried weight, but defended his on-air talent from the increasing volume of criticism.
“I do believe that because of some of the criticism, most of which I think is undeserved … I think it’s an important game for him no matter what,” McManus said, via Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated.
“I think if people really listen to Tony, and he’s not your meat-and-potatoes analyst. He’s more of a fan. He gets excited. We sometimes say to him, ‘Hey, calm down a little bit because you do get too into the game,’ which I think is a plus. But I think generally speaking, people really enjoy listening to Nantz and Romo and Tracy [Wolfson].
Tony Romo May Not Be Getting A Fair Shake On Social Media
McManus pointed to social media as somewhat of a “self-fulfilling prophecy” that may skew the actual public perception of Romo. Those content with Romo’s commentary may not be inclined to post about it. But those with a witty or snarky take on a Romo soundbite may tweet about it and gain traction online.
“When social media starts to turn, it really turns and it almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The people who really like Tony tend not to tweet. It’s mostly the negative. You get two tweets and then people pile on,” McManus added.
Love him or hate him, Romo always brings a level of enthusiasm to the game. Sometimes that enthusiasm gets to a point where even CBS broadcast would ask him to “calm down,” which McManus claims to be a feature and not a bug of Romo’s commentary.
But with the looming availability of Greg Olsen from FOX and other Pro Bowlers rumored to be interested in trying their hand at the broadcasting craft, Romo’s seat won’t stay cool forever.
More must-reads: