Aug 18 2008
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football first aired in 1970 and has been the cornerstone of pro football ever since. It spent the first 35 years on ABC, recently moving to ESPN. Both networks are owned by Disney.
Howard Cosell did play by play on Monday Night Football until 1983 and is probably the most associated with it. Various people have been shuffled in and out, including Frank Gifford (Kathi Lee’s husband). Now announcing games are ESPN’s Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser.
One of history’s most memorable moments occured during MNF. John Lennon was assasinated on December 8, 1980 and Howard Cosell broke the news to the football watching world.
MNF was also an innovator in slow motion replays, which are a staple to every sports broadcast. They also led the way in the use of computerized graphics. This helped MNF become the juggernut in the ratings. Death for a show on another network would be to put it on Monday nights. The first real show to put a damper on the ratings was “Everybody Loves Raymond”. Millions would watch and switch to football after.
I must admit, after a long weekend of football, I don’t usually make it to the end of a Monday Night game. Even if the Patriots are playing.
