Monday Will Never Be The Same

Monday Night Football has been a staple on ABC for a long, long time. It's been aired on a free network for that entire time. That's all about to change. ABC broadcasted it's last (for now) MNF game last night. MNF will now move over to ESPN. If you want a free prime-time football game, you will have to tune into NBC to watch Sunday Night Football from here on out, as that broadcast moves over from ESPN.

I'm a little sad about this. Not because there are 12 people somewhere in the USA that don't have satellite or cable. No, sad because it's the end of an institution that I grew up watching. Over the past few seasons, MNF's ratings have been sub-par but they surely won't improve just because it switches networks. No, the ratings are down because the games are bad. The games are bad because that schedule is set before the season begins and in these days of parity across the NFL, you have no idea which teams will succeed and which will fail (usually). Until the NFL wakes up and sets those games no more than a couple of weeks in advance, I fear that they games (and thus, the ratings) will continue to plummet.

Growing up, I would be glued to the TV each Monday. The games seemed to always be exciting...you could count on a great finish. Even games that weren't very competitive were made fun by the assortment of commentators that got to share time in the booth. From Cosell to Gifford to Meredith to Michaels to Madden, you were guaranteed to see and hear things on Monday night to keep you smiling or drop your jaw open, saying "Wow!". I was there when Marino and the Dolphins upset the '85 Bears. I was there when the training staff had to pratically take Kellen Winslow off the field on a stretcher after a big win over Miami in which almost 100 combined points were scored. I was there when Brett Favre threw for almost 400 yards and 4 touchdowns the same week that he lost his father (and I shed a tear listening to him talk about it too). I was there when Dorsett went 99 yards for a touchdown against the Vikings. You get the point...so many memories over so many years.

I know there will still be a game on Monday night. But it won't be the same. I'm sorry...as good as Mike Patrick is, Joe Theismann and Paul MacGuire are more than bad enough to make it a terrible broadcast. The broadcast team combined with the continued league parity probably means that my days of watching MNF are mostly over. Sure, I'll watch if it's a really good matchup or if my Cowboys are playing...but who really wants to tune into a game between two bad teams who were out of playoff contention when training camp started? My time is worth more than that.

I invite you to share your memories of MNF...and we can even call them the "good old days" if you want! Let me know what you remember most, what you liked, what you didn't like. How do you feel about the move to ESPN?