Chris Berman
Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for SportsCenter on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's Sunday NFL Countdown program from 1985 to 2016 and NFL Primetime from 1987 to 2005 and since 2019. He has also anchored Monday Night Countdown, U.S. Open golf, the Stanley Cup Finals, and other programming on ESPN and ABC Sports. Berman calls play-by-play of select Major League Baseball games for ESPN, which included the Home Run Derby until 2016.
Chris Berman | |
|---|---|
Berman in March 2007 | |
| Born | Christopher James Berman May 10, 1955 Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Brown University (B.A.) |
| Occupation(s) | TV, radio sportscaster, television personality |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | Work as co-host of Sunday NFL Countdown program on ESPN (1985–2016) |
| Title | NFL studio host, ESPN / ESPN SportsCenter anchor, sports commentator |
| Spouse |
Katherine Alexinski
(m. 1983; died 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
A six-time honoree of the National Sports Media Association's National Sportscaster of the Year award, Berman was instrumental in establishing ESPN's lasting popularity during the network's formative years. He is well known for his various catchphrases and quirky demeanor.
In January 2017, ESPN announced that Berman would be stepping down from several NFL-related roles at the network, but would remain at the company. In May 2021, Berman signed a multiyear contract with ESPN to continue to host NFL Primetime.