John Madden announced his retirement yesterday after nearly 30 years in broadcasting (as he started in 1979). He was a head coach in the NFL for ten seasons, won Super Bowl XI, and was inducted into the NFL Hall of fame. It almost sounds like a headline for someone departed, but to so many football fans it's just like losing a good friend. Madden will still be around, but no longer beamed into your television set every week.
His keen insight and analysis was striking. It didn't take long for fans to take notice of Madden. His robust personality will be missed. From his Taste Great/Less Filling Miller Lite commercials ripping through the paper wall to his trademark video game, fans from across generations appreciated everything Madden had to offer. Madden had become so popular that even his video game spawned a TV show on ESPN.
Fans will always remember his artistry and mastery of the telestrator, as well as his joyous commentary like "Doink!" As his star power and personality grew the last few seasons, he never seemed to allow the fans to turn on him like so many broadcasters face when on the air so long. Over time the shared knowledge can turn to perceived arrogance as many fans who once enjoyed listening to Billy Packer turned on him years later. Such an episode never occurred with John Madden and that's also what made him so adored and why so many fans will miss hearing him on Sundays.
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I'm sure I'm not the first to say this but, over the last handful of years, Madden became a bit of a parody of himself. He said and did things because that's what "Madden: The Icon" was supposed to do.
It's time for him to go -- 30 years is a nice round number, as well as going out with his last game announced being the Super Bowl. In his prime, he was good, and he'll always be remembered as a great coach, but at age 73, can you really blame him for wanting to retire?
I'd agree.
I would assume that Madden is a "what you see is what you get" type of person and is very friendly and esay-going from what you see and read about him...having never met the man.
And taking that a step further, I'd assume that it's the network execs tapping into his personality to encourage him to be more entertaining because they believed that's what people want and are tuning in for and watching him regardless of matchup.
I'm sure if the execs asked him to provide more analysis again he would because he's that good. Neither Moose or Aikman nor Simms on CBS are as entertaining and fun to watch as Madden. The quality of being able to entertain, as well as inform placed him on a higher level and what made his so great.