A conversation with ESPN’s Mike Breen and CBS/Turner Sports/YES Network broadcaster Ian Eagle. Plus, Dana O’Neil of The Athletic on The Big East

Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 169 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with ESPN NBA announcer Mike Breen and Ian Eagle, who calls the NBA for Turner Sports and the YES Network, and the NFL for CBS. They are followed by Dana O’Neil, a senior writer for The Athletic and the author of the new book, “The Big East: Inside the Most Entertaining and Influential Conference in College Basketball History.”

In this podcast Breen and Eagle discuss how they first met and the longevity of their friendship; how they would describe the other’s broadcast style; why they don’t view each other as competitors; why they still call local teams, the Knicks and Nets; how they view production meetings with coaches and players; Breen’s interest in calling games in the future; how they would feel about incorporating gambling content into their broadcasts; the NBA call they are most proud of; Kevin Garnett calling Eagle “the mother----- voice”; Magic Johnson’s praise of Breen, and much more.

O’Neil discusses why she wanted to explore the history of the Big East in- depth; how she approached the reporting and writing on such a broad topic; the league’s famous coaches and players; Georgetown coach John Thompson relishing being an iconoclast in the league; her attempts to get Allen Iverson for the book; what the Big East is now and where it sits among conferences; covering college basketball today; the goal of mid-majors to be the next Gonzaga and much more.

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