Restaurants, TV Sports ... It's All the Same

Despite all they discussion and hype about who works in the TV broadcast booth on coverage of sporting events, it's the games that matter most.

A good group in the booth can make a game more enjoyable -- just as a bad group might make it little less entertaining -- but most fans do not decide to watch (or not to watch) based on the announcers. People tune in to watch their team, or a game that interests them.

For years, TV types have argued that John Madden "moved the needle" and brought viewers to games. Madden was many things -- entertaining, engaging, infuriating -- and he almost inevitably evoked a response and made a connection with viewers. But, he was always working a network's No. 1 NFL game of day.

Whether it was on CBS with Pat Summerall or later on "Monday Night Football," which aired on ABC and then NBC, Madden almost inevitably got an A-list assignment. So people were going to watch no matter what. It's hard to believe they were there just for him, even in minimal numbers. Had Madden worked week after week on irrelevant or low-profile games, he would not have become so beloved or well known.

In some ways, the TV business mirrors dining out that way. People eat out for the food. A good server can make the experience better -- just as a bad server can make the night seem a little less enjoyable -- but it's the food that matters. Even if you get that bad server, you're still apt to return if the entree was good. (You'll just hope you're not seated at that server's table the next time.)

Among televised sports entities, the NFL remains the featured menu item -- because people always watch. This year's average ratings have hit record levels, and might only increase as the season progresses and games become more meaningful.

Ratings the past week or so again bore out the NFL's dominance, even with a weak "Monday Night Football" matchup. That bland Jacksonville Jaguars-Tennessee Titans matchup still attracted 9.7 million viewers, compared to 8.2 million viewers for a more meaningful American League Championship Series game between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.

College football has been strong the fall too, with its prime-time ratings and viewership on ABC also finishing higher than post-season baseball -- and that would be the case no matter who was working the games. Proven and highly visible Brent Musburger usually gets those prime-time assignments, but if he were not there (we can dream) people would watch anyway.

Still, that does not mean on-air sports talent does not have an important role. Especially as TV programming becomes more fragmented and more niche shows develop, loyalties could be heightened for some on-air talent. After all, every professional league (as well as the Big Ten Conference) has its own network and every marquis mixed martial arts event has its own buildup in a TV series.

With things like that, people already appreciate and expect familiarity with those describing the action or hosting the shows. So they could play a slight role in whether people watch or not. In the end, though, what they plan to watch matters most. It's always about what's on the menu.