Current Events > Andrea Kremer And Hannah Storm Will Be First Female Duo To Call An NFL Game.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/25/651436564/andrea-kremer-and-hannah-storm-will-be-first-female-duo-to-call-an-nfl-game

Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer will become the first female announcing team to cover an NFL game this Thursday, with Amazon Prime Video offering the pair as an online alternative to the Fox broadcast crew of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

"Teaming up with Hannah and Amazon for this is truly special," Kremer said in a news release. "Hannah is a brilliant journalist and she has been a friend for many years. With decades of experience as storytellers, we will be bringing a different voice and viewpoint to covering the game of football."

Thursday's game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings is the first of 11 games that Storm and Kremer will work this season.

News of the all-female team immediately set off a range of reactions online. Some critics most of whom, from what we saw, were male turned up their noses at the idea, replying to a tweet from media reporter Darren Rovell with comments such as "My god... my eaaaars."

But on that same thread, a man named Victor wrote, "That is awesome news! As a father of 2 young girls, I love this! Thank you for this."

In response, another man wrote, "Disgusting it took me this much scrolling to find a good comment. Good on you."

Pro-male pearl-clutchers and ear-coverers can choose not to listen to Storm and Kremer's play-by-play and analysis of the game: Amazon Prime Video's streaming platform will also offer Aikman and Buck.

The freedom of choice didn't stop a Twitter user named "Alpha" from writing, "Wow, that will be an absolute terrible listen smh," replying to a tweet about the all-female pairing from ESPN's Adam Schefter. Within a couple hours, Alpha's tweet was liked nearly 700 times.

Pushback like that is "both sad and disgusting," sports reporter Cayleigh Griffin said of the responses to Schefter's tweet. She added, "These are two of the most respected and hard-working women in sports journalism."

---

Amazon says offering coverage from Kremer and Storm is part of its plan to produce multiple audio streams so that viewers can "customize their viewing experience." Other options include a Spanish-language team and a U.K. broadcast.

While Aikman and Buck are one of the top-tier announcing teams, some responses online noted that Kremer and Storm are extraordinarily qualified to handle an NFL game.

"Wondering why someone like Andrea Kremer had to wait this long for a gig like this and had to get it on a streaming service," wrote David Steele of the Sporting News, "but [recently retired Cowboys tight end] Jason F. Witten gets escorted right to the front of the line."

News of the all-female broadcast team comes a year after Beth Mowins became the first woman in 30 years to handle play-by-play duties for an NFL game, working in the booth for Monday Night Football a job to which she has returned for a second season.

Mowins has faced some criticism since her debut last September. The New York Times even ran an essay by sportwswriter Julie DiCaro titled, "Safest Bet in Sports: Men Complaining About a Female Announcer's Voice."

Critics of female broadcasters often say they're simply reacting to the voice, not the person. As one man wrote in the debate that broke out on Schefter's Twitter feed today, "Stop trying to make this about being sexist."

Kremer is among those who have defended Mowins. As she told DiCaro last year, "I have no doubt that 'hating the sound of her voice' is code for 'I hate that there was a woman announcing football.' "

"I can't imagine embarking upon this new role with anyone better than Andrea," Storm said. "A lifelong friend with Pro Football Hall of Fame credentials, she is the perfect partner. Together we're looking forward to offering a new option for Prime members on Thursday nights and I'm excited to get to work!"

Kremer is currently the chief correspondent for the NFL Network, in addition to filing in-depth stories for HBO's Real Sports. Earlier this year, she won the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, for "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football."

Once on the sidelines literally as a reporter for NBC's Sunday Night Football, Kremer will now help anchor the broadcast from the booth.

Storm, who is an anchor for ESPN's long-running SportsCenter program, is a versatile broadcaster who has had central roles in presenting a number sports, from the Olympics and the NBA and WNBA to Wimbledon and Major League Baseball. She has also produced and directed a number of long-form projects for ESPN and other outlets.

"NFL fans will hear history made this season bringing two female announcers together to call an entire NFL game has never been done before," said Greg Hart, vice president of Amazon Prime Video.

He added, "Our customers around the world love to stream football we are thrilled to have Andrea and Hannah bring their extensive knowledge of the game to fans on Prime Video."

I'm guessing playing the game had something to do with Witten's getting the job
---

Well they gotta be better than Joe Buck at least
---

still better than joe buck, and jon gruden, and fucking Phil Simms
---

literally everyone is better than Joe Buck
---

I'll give them a chance. I'll certainly be watching the game.
---

Jason Witten isn't good at his job though.
He's still better than Aikman, but that bar's somewhere in the Earth's mantle.

Muffinz0rz posted...

I'm guessing playing the game had something to do with Witten's getting the job

Playing and commentating are very different skills
---

Seriously, it's nice that they offer the option even if it is Joe Buck.

Beth Mowins was awful for reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVp4-qjWVJE" data-time="
---

Witten sucks

and is literally a trumpeter even while he works.

sad
---

Antifar posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

I'm guessing playing the game had something to do with Witten's getting the job

Playing and commentating are very different skills

I mean I agree, but you can't deny that playing the game would put him a few steps ahead of someone who hasn't.
---

Just don't try to sound like a man, the way Beth Mowins does.
---

Muffinz0rz posted...

Antifar posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

I'm guessing playing the game had something to do with Witten's getting the job

Playing and commentating are very different skills

I mean I agree, but you can't deny that playing the game would put him a few steps ahead of someone who hasn't.

I guess it depends on how well they can translate their working knowledge of the game into commentating. For instance, Tony Romo might get dinged by some people for maybe being overly-enthusiastic at times, but his years of experience allows him to give pretty great real time analysis of the games.

Witten has shown none of that. He's pretty terrible.

And you don't need to have played to study the game to know how it works. A woman is just as capable of that as a man. Andrea has been doing football coverage for longer than Witten has played in the NFL.
---

Paper_Okami posted...

and jon gruden

lol wut. If anything the NFL needs to get Gruden back in the booth and schedule the games so he can commentate them all.
---

Were_Wyrm posted...

Paper_Okami posted...

and jon gruden

lol wut. If anything the NFL needs to get Gruden back in the booth and schedule the games so he can commentate them all.

Fuck that. I love Gruden being back to coaching the Raiders. It's been great.
---

Witten is a dumb hick and terrible at his job.

These ladies will do better than most of the male duos, tbh.
---

What a great game that was. I actually had Joe Buck and Troy Aikman announcing. Did anyone listen to the women? If so, how were they?

EDIT: I hate the way Aikman says Goff's name. He adds an L sound in there to make Jared Golf.
---

What happened to this? I turned the game on amazon prime and it was these two numbskulls doing the game, not the ladies. It was the literal same feed for the Fox channel.
---

JacquesArc posted...

What happened to this? I turned the game on amazon prime and it was these two numbskulls doing the game, not the ladies. It was the literal same feed for the Fox channel.

I bet it was a well-hidden option somewhere. Like how the Spanish broadcasts were for a long time.
---

SquirrelyDan posted...

JacquesArc posted...

What happened to this? I turned the game on amazon prime and it was these two numbskulls doing the game, not the ladies. It was the literal same feed for the Fox channel.

I bet it was a well-hidden option somewhere. Like how the Spanish broadcasts were for a long time.

Yup, had to bring the options up and change the audio to their broadcast.
---

Were_Wyrm posted...

Paper_Okami posted...

and jon gruden

lol wut. If anything the NFL needs to get Gruden back in the booth and schedule the games so he can commentate them all.

gruden and tirico was the GOAT broadcasting team
---