Last Monday’s Monday Night Football game was more than just a platform for Russell Wilson’s athleticism. While the Seattle Seahawks racked up 27 points against the Washington Redskins 17, another element other than football was presented during a broadcast that included announcer, Jon Gruden. You’d imagine that because his brother, Jay Gruden, coaches for the Redskins organization that the interview would become a one-sided story of the glories of Washington and amplify the blunders of Seattle. However, the broadcast was nothing of the sort.

Even during pregame, it was obvious that Jon had no intention of showing favoritism towards his brother’s organization. He presented the strengths and weaknesses of both teams as if he had no association. He didn’t dazzle me more than any other broadcaster, but impressed me with his professionalism. However, I didn’t know what to expect when the game clock started.
The game soon turned into the Russell Wilson show. By the end of the night he had rushed for over 120 yards and threw for 201 passing yards. As each second ticked down on the clock, Jon held true to a good broadcaster and was completely unbiased. In fact, his broadcast criticized the decisions of the Redskins with comments that included, “I don’t know if they watched the wrong game film or what”.

I truly respected this type of broadcasting. It makes the game more enjoyable knowing that the broadcasters are bringing nothing to the game except good, unbiased analysis. It’s becoming more and more common that sports broadcasters lean towards one side or another while announcing. Whether it be the underdog versus the undefeated team or having some kind of association with one of the teams participating, broadcasters are leaking comments that show they have some kind of mindset about one of the teams or its players. It’s becoming frustrating to know that some broadcasts turn into matters of opinion rather than using their talents to help their viewers further understand the game.

However, Jon Gruden acted against this ongoing trend and broadcasted a fair game. Broadcasts are not places for tons of opinions. It’s an ongoing trend that needs to be addressed and I was proud to see that not all analysts are feeding into this.