Sports

‘Looking live’ no longer: Longtime sports broadcaster retiring at end of month

By Ron Seibel

rseibel@macon.com
In this Jan. 30, 2016, photo provided by ESPN, Brent Musburger works a college basketball game between LSU and Oklahoma in Baton Rouge, La. Musburger is calling an end to his broadcast career. Millions of Americans experienced sporting events through his folksy narration, most often when he was the lead voice of CBS Sports during the 1980s. Musburger will call his last game for ESPN on Jan. 31, a college basketball contest pitting Kentucky against Georgia.
In this Jan. 30, 2016, photo provided by ESPN, Brent Musburger works a college basketball game between LSU and Oklahoma in Baton Rouge, La. Musburger is calling an end to his broadcast career. Millions of Americans experienced sporting events through his folksy narration, most often when he was the lead voice of CBS Sports during the 1980s. Musburger will call his last game for ESPN on Jan. 31, a college basketball contest pitting Kentucky against Georgia. Phil Ellsworth AP

Brent Musburger won’t be having sports fans “looking live” at sporting events much longer.

He’ll be making book instead.

Musburger, whose line “You are looking live” became synonymous with CBS’ “The NFL Today” studio show in the 1970s and 1980s, is retiring from broadcasting at the end of the month. According to an ESPN report, Musburger will joining his family in starting a sports handicapping business in Las Vegas.

“What a wonderful journey I have traveled with CBS and the Disney company,” Musburger said in a statement published by ESPN. “A love of sports allows me to live a life of endless pleasure. And make no mistake, I will miss the arenas and stadiums dearly. Most of all, I will miss the folks I have met along the trail.”

The longtime broadcaster became a play-by-play broadcaster after his time with “The NFL Today,” calling games for CBS, ABC and ESPN. His work at ESPN in recent years has included extensive work with the SEC Network.

Musburger, 77, called Dalton Carriker’s home run that won the 2007 Little League World Series for Warner Robins.

His final game will be Tuesday, when Kentucky hosts Georgia in a 9 p.m. contest broadcast by ESPN.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 11:50 AM with the headline "‘Looking live’ no longer: Longtime sports broadcaster retiring at end of month."

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