[CBFF] Berman goes crazy - follow up

[Phil DeNomme]

Berman's act got old 10 years ago.  Someone needs to send him a memo with
some new material.

-----Original Message-----
From: cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com
[mailto:cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com] On Behalf Of Victor Waldron
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 1:03 PM
To: CBFF
Subject: [CBFF] Berman goes crazy - follow up

(this piece is from the Trib. According to the article the anonymous
YouTube poster put it online, "so the public could see Berman for what
he is." Whether you like Berman or not it's a low blow.)


Berman caught with his mike on
When profanity-laced outtakes from 2000 showed up on YouTube, no doubt
the ESPN anchor wished he could take it back, back, back

By Ed Sherman

TRIBUNE REPORTER

February 18, 2008

The Internet has opened up a whole new world for the masses, taking
them to places they never have been before. That hasn't been a good
thing for Chris Berman recently.

Out of nowhere, unflattering videos of the ESPN personality popped up
on YouTube and then other sites. Thousands of users saw clips of
Berman in between segments while anchoring the halftime show for ABC's
"Monday Night Football" in 2000.

One clip showed Berman in a vulgarity-laced tirade because people on
the set distracted him during his segment.

"It's like nobody here ever worked on TV before," he said.

Another clip has Berman complaining about having to narrate the same
kind of highlights every week.

"I'm running out of steam on these things," he said.

Berman also mocked Al Michaels, then the host of "MNF." While
rehearsing a line sending the telecast back to the stadium, Berman
placed a vulgarity before and after Michaels' name.

The person who posted the videos on YouTube goes by the user name of
ampex2000. The person declined to reveal his or her identity in a
communication on YouTube's site.

The person said via e-mail through YouTube that the Berman videos had
been passed around by production people, as is a common practice with
other outtakes in the television industry. The person said the videos
were placed on YouTube so the public could see Berman for what he is.

Berman isn't talking, and the videos were up for several days before
ESPN issued a statement:

"The off-air videos are now nearly a decade old and do not reflect
[Berman's] typical workplace demeanor, his relationships with
co-workers nor the contributions he has made to ESPN over many years.
Chris has a tremendous connection with sports fans, and his body of
work should not be judged by a few minutes of unguarded language
uttered years ago. We aren't excusing the language and will be
emphasizing to our workforce the importance of using appropriate
language in the workplace."

ESPN then took action and had YouTube remove the videos. However,
Deadspin.com still had the clips on its site Friday.

Berman hardly is the first on-air personality to have a meltdown over
something that happened in the studio.

He won't be the last because there's plenty of material floating
around, as every production truck has its own series of bloopers that
provides crews with hours of entertainment during down time.

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