Bob Costas thinks that football has a bigger problem than any supposed “war on football,” or any behavior/disciplinary issues off the field. He thinks the problem is the game itself.
Bob Costas
By Curtis Houck | November 26, 2015 | 2:17 PM EST
Promoting his latest book Wednesday night on Newsmax TV, longtime sports writer and Washington Post columnist John Feinstein surprisingly went off the liberal reservation and told host Steve Malzberg that ESPN Radio 980 personality and Pardon the Interruption co-host Tony Kornheiser “should probably have gotten” suspended for comparing conservative Republicans to ISIS back.
By Tom Blumer | June 29, 2015 | 8:57 AM EDT
To be clear, professional sports broadcasting is thankfully long past the time when the announcers would annoyingly sugarcoat dismal player performances. (Though I would prefer that those who actually played the game engage in this criticism, and that play-by-play announcers who haven't try to stay away from it.)
So it would have been somewhat acceptable if veteran NBC broadcaster Bob Costas, as he was doing the play-by-play for a Friday night Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals game, had merely stated the obvious, i.e., that Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop, after giving up a home run, hitting a batter, and walking one while only getting one out, had an "atrocious" outing. But that's not what he said. Costas ripped into Strop for (imagine that) looking up and pointing to the heavens as he headed towards the Cubs' dugout.
By Melissa Mullins | June 10, 2015 | 10:08 AM EDT
On the Dan Patrick radio show, NBC sportscaster Bob Costas said "I wish Caitlyn Jenner well" in finding a comfortable identity, but said “Awarding the Arthur Ashe award to Caitlyn Jenner is just a crass exploitation play… It’s a tabloid play."
By Jeffrey Meyer | August 27, 2014 | 12:41 PM EDT
During an appearance on Fox and Friends, ESPN football announcer Kirk Herbstreit criticized NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas for talking politics while announcing a game when most Americans just want to watch the game.
Speaking to co-host Brian Kilmeade on Tuesday, August 26, Herbstreit insisted that “when I'm calling a game, the way Al Michaels would do and the way I do on Saturday night, I'm going to talk about the game.” [See video below.]
Bob Costas Slams NBC For Insisting Donald Sterling Represents Larger Racial Problems in America: ‘Politically Correct BS'
By Jeffrey Meyer | July 6, 2014 | 10:16 AM EDT Bob Costas, liberal sportscaster for NBC, had some harsh words for his own network’s handling of the Donald Sterling controversy earlier this year.
Costas appeared on MSNBC’s Up w/ Steve Kornacki on Saturday, July 5 and mocked the idea that there was widespread debate over the appropriateness of Sterling’s racist comments. The NBC sports anchor argued that “when people say, well, this is an opportunity to open up a dialogue on race. Here is where I think some people who work in this building ought to step up and say you know what, that's a bunch of politically correct BS.” [See video below.]
By Kyle Drennen | May 12, 2014 | 2:21 PM EDT
Despite the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Michael Sam being drafted by the St. Louis Rams as the first openly gay player in the NFL, the Big Three network morning shows on Monday all hyped a negative one-word tweet from another NFL player as evidence of a social media "backlash" against Sam, where "every creep and cretin" could attack him. [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
At the top of ABC's Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos touted Sam "making history," but fretted over "the backlash that blew up over his celebration sealed with a kiss," referring to Sam embracing his boyfriend as he got the news. In a later report, correspondent Mara Schiavocampo warned that "not everyone is celebrating the news," proclaiming: "It's sports history sealed with a kiss, and this morning, a little controversy."
By Kyle Drennen | May 12, 2014 | 9:56 AM EDT
Talking to NBC sportscaster Bob Costas on Monday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer reacted to openly gay football player Michael Sam being drafted by the St. Louis Rams on Saturday: "The big picture here in terms of the NFL, is this a sea change or is this a one-off? Is this the league moving to the right side of history? Which by the way, they really can't do unless more players come forward." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
Costas responded: "Oh, I think more players will come forward. And in that respect, Michael Sam, no matter what kind of NFL career he has, is a significant figure....And this stuff is moving at warp speed. This kind of acceptance is happening quicker than any of us might have thought. And so I think the NFL is just getting in line with what's happening in society overall."
By Randy Hall | April 3, 2014 | 6:53 PM EDT
Longtime NBC sportscaster Bob Costas appeared on Wednesday's edition of the network's hour-long Late Night program, which is hosted by Seth Myers. The former member of the Saturday Night Live cast threw softball questions at his guest regarding “minor controversies” he caused by inserting liberal political commentary into his sports coverage.
After a discussion that included the TV broadcaster's views on the “gun culture” within the National Football League, his fawning description of Vladmir Putin at the beginning of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and his strong dislike of the name of the Washington Redskins NFL team, Costas was praised by Myers for “making sports a lot more interesting.” Costas suggested mostly "angry" people on "extreme" venues were upset, not so much the average American on the street.
By Matt Philbin | April 3, 2014 | 10:32 AM EDT
It’s Opening Day week and all things are new again. Except the fact that liberals won’t let us just be happy watching our sports. That’s not new. In fact, as anyone who’s read Roger Kahn’s “The Boys of Summer” knows, determined liberals have been trying to suck the joy out of the sporting endeavor for decades.
But it does seem that the space carved out for the care-free enjoyment of our favorite sports is shrinking a little bit every year. Sycophantic ESPN is being used to sell Obamacare in exchange for the president’s bracket picks. Obama’s now annual interview has been ruining the guacamole at Super Bowl parties since 2009.
By Ken Shepherd | March 10, 2014 | 11:05 PM EDT
He may call himself a "Bernie Goldberg conservative" and a "Juan Williams liberal" but in truth, NBC sportscaster Bob Costas is simply "a damn fool" who "has abused [his] role" on the network's airwaves to trash the constitutional right of "we the people" to keep and bear arms, syndicated radio host Mark Levin argued on his March 10 program.
[Click here to listen to an MP3 of the Levin segment on "Botox Bob" Costas; special thanks to Levin producer Richard Sementa for furnishing the clip.]
By Randy Hall | February 8, 2014 | 10:57 PM EST
What was the best way for NBC to begin that network's coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia? Have sports anchor Bob Costas host a brief profile on Vladmir Putin in which the Russian president is hailed as a global statesman superior to U.S. president Barack Obama. '
During a video portion of the profile, Costas said that Putin is an accomplished peacemaker, crediting him with preventing an American airstrike on Syria and coaxing the Iranian government to the nuclear negotiating table.