FOX NFL Sunday announcer Greg Olsen thinks football broadcasters would find it easier to call NBA games than vice versa.
The NFL-NBA crossover debate continues to evolve after being started by former point guard Austin Rivers.
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In May, Rivers sparked controversy when he said 30 current NBA players could play successfully in the NFL, but not vice versa.
In an appearance on Pardon My Take this week, Olsen, 39, was asked how game announcers would fare if they switched sports.
And although he predicted social media would “go crazy” if he participated in the debate, the Fox NFL star agreed to give his “honest” answer.
“I think an NFL broadcaster could broadcast an NBA game with more understanding and clarity than vice versa,” Olsen said.
“In football, every play is an individual story. It’s not just a constant.”
Olsen explained that in football, broadcasters need to take up more broadcast time due to the start-stop nature of the game.
This means they need to provide a more complex analysis of each play – whereas in basketball, announcers use jargon sporadically, typically after a significant sequence.
“They’re not telling you exactly what happens because it’s happening so fast,” Olsen said.
“They are flowing from attack to defense, from transition to foul, on the field, off the field.
“They’re flowing through so many different situations in real time that they’re just diving into the actual specifics of each situation. [specific plays] really only in a few moments.”
Olsen said the pace of basketball would probably give football announcers a chance to “fake it a little more.”
The former NFL star also suggested that football games require more in-depth analysis because the sport is not as accessible as basketball.
“People are more familiar with the ins and outs of it because more people do it than play football,” Olsen said.
Olsen is expected to lose his spot on Fox’s main football broadcast team to Tom Brady for the 2024 NFL season.
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But the Fox NFL star recently said he won’t be happy being anything other than the No. 1 option.
“My aspirations are still to be the No. 1 analyst, whether at Fox or elsewhere,” he said.
“That will never change as long as I do this. I’m not just happy to be there.
“I’m not just happy to have a seat.
“I want the highest place, and I want it whenever the opportunity allows, and I will never stop working for it.
“I feel more motivated to do it now than ever before.”
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