Broadcast Throwbacks: 6 Times Sportscasters Turned Back the Clock

UPDATE: We've been reposted by Uni Watch!  Their readers suggested several other examples of broadcast throwbacks, which you can read about at the bottom of this post.

1. Cubs vs. A's (August 6, 2016)

Everyone knows about "throwbacks" in sports -- players wearing replicas of uniform designs from their team's history. But only recently have television sportscasters joined in the fun. At a Cubs-A's game with early 80s throwback uniforms, Comcast SportsNet created spot-on 80s television graphics to match -- from the period-accurate NBC peacock logo to the delightfully long black drop shadows. (The Pirates also attempted this in April but, with absurd wigs and That-70s-Show graphics, just ended up looking goofy). Announcers also wore yellow blazers, which brings us to:

2. Monday Night Football (September 14, 2015)

ABC Sports invented the yellow blazer as the standard costume for 1970s television sportscasters.  Blame Monday Night Football, in which Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Frank Gifford all sported the mustard-colored jackets. Gifford served in the MNF booth for 26 years, and when he died in 2015 on the eve of that season's inaugural Monday Night Football game, Gifford's successors at ESPN donned yellow jackets to honor the longtime announcer.

3. Southern 500 (September 6, 2015)

NASCAR caught the nostalgia bug in 2015, moving the Darlington race to Labor Day weekend, and encouraging drivers to display throwback paint schemes. NBC had some fun with their retro graphics, but more significantly, they brought back legendary NASCAR personalities Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett to call a significant chunk of the race. This was a genius move, bringing living history to a current sporting event in a way that has not yet been duplicated. Old guys rule! (Interestingly enough, the current NBC Sports crew wore goofy 1970s jackets, while the 1970s announcers dressed normally).

4. Men in Blazers (September 18, 2014)

Every week, British comedians Roger Bennett and Michael Davies lampoon soccer on their NBCSN show and podcast, Men in Blazers. Though they have a tiny closet of a set, there's an incongruous neon sign on the wall celebrating the George Michael Sports Machine. As they explain on their blog, George Michael's weekly highlight reels helped to acclimatize Roger and Michael to the atmosphere of American sports in the 1980s. Not only do they display George Michael's original sign as an homage, but they frequently mimic the bloopy synth sound effect that started off Michael's show.

5. Dodgers vs. Cubs (August 26, 2000)

Fox Sports never shies away from trying new things (anyone remember the glowing hockey puck, or explosion sound effects for a touchdown pass?)  However, this ambitious broadcast was the gimmick to end all gimmicks. To celebrate the anniversary of the first televised baseball game, Fox began its broadcast in black-and-white, with one camera, no on-screen graphics, and purposely tinny audio. As each inning progressed, their broadcast style would advance one decade, and they would describe how that generation watched baseball. First they added a second camera; then, better sound. Color. Instant replay. Slow motion. Wireless cameras in the stadium. In the final inning, they unleashed all their modern toys, including mic'ed up managers, FoxBox onscreen graphics, and a helmet cam on the catcher. Lord knows what 1940s viewers would think of hashtags, high def, or live pitch tracking.

6. Brewers vs. Red Sox (June 26, 1982)

This final instance happened by accident, making it especially brilliant. Boston was down to Milwaukee 11-8, and before the bottom of the 9th, the power went out at Fenway Park. All television equipment stopped functioning except for one camera and the intercom. Luckily, the director of the telecast was Harry Coyle, who had previously guided 36 World Series broadcasts. He told the lone cameraman, Mario, "We'll show 'em what one cameraman can do!" and proceeded to direct the final inning of the game with just a single camera and zoom lens, located above home plate -- including a frantic near-comeback by the Red Sox. In essence, he was throwing back to the way baseball used to be broadcast (like Fox did), but doing it out of necessity! Even more remarkably, producer Rick Reed happened to be filming the TV truck for a segment on Coyle, and captured the entire incident, including the intercom chatter between Coyle and Mario.

OTHER EXAMPLES: Fox's spectacle of starting their broadcast in black-and-white is apparently not unique.  WGN copied the idea in 2008 for their 60th anniversary of broadcasting Cubs games; announcers Len Kasper and Bob Brenly were decked out in 1940s clothes.  It's also been mentioned that Bill Webb at WWOR did a "throwback" Mets game in the 1990s, simulating a 1960s broadcast complete with fake video line outage.  (I've been unable to locate footage or photos from either example).

In 2014, the BBC's stalwart "Match of the Day" program celebrated its 50th anniversary with throwback graphics, and a one-off appearance by 76-year-old commentator Barry Davies.  (Apparently in the UK, sportscasters' blazers are green).

Also notable is the WWE, who in 2010 transformed their flagship Monday Night RAW program to "Old School," using costumes and graphics from the 1980s, including the iconic "WWF" logo. However, due to their longstanding lawsuit from the World Wildlife Federation, in subsequent "Old School" nights they altered the iconic logo to remove the F.