It has televised the U.S. Open either with ABC or NBC dating back to 1982. It so happened that 2014 would be ESPN’s final year of televising the first two rounds of the U.S. Open. It began with Jim Simpson as being one of the anchors. It ended with Chris Berman, Sean McDonough and Scott Van Pelt being the announcers on the event.
Berman was allowed to have the last word.
“ESPN began broadcasting the U.S. Open back in 1982, first with ABC and then of course starting in ‘95 with NBC. Some of us have covered this event since 1986. Now here we are in 2014, 33 years after it all began, and the proverbial final putt is about to drop. Our live coverage is about to end. And speaking for the hundreds of ladies and gentlemen through the years who worked so hard for three decades, I’ll admit that we’re sad. We’re sad because we love the event and we’re sad because we love bringing it to you. But above all, we are very proud. Collectively, we’re here from before sunup until the time the sun goes down and way beyond but that’s ok – we’ve just been trying to get it right. If somewhere along the line we helped you enjoy the U.S. Open a little bit more, helped you have some fun, made you bigger U.S. Open fans, then all that work was worth it. Frankly, it’s been one of the best rides in the history of this network. Thanks for sharing it all with us.”
And while the last years have seen fans taken to social media to lambaste Berman’s role on the U.S. Open, there will be an all-new target starting in 2015 when Fox takes over with Joe Buck and Greg Norman in the 18th tower.
