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re: Eli Gold not returning to the radio booth
Posted on 2/22/24 at 8:39 am to thesneakypelican
Posted on 2/22/24 at 8:39 am to thesneakypelican
quote:
being forced out is disgusting
His contract was up and they didn’t renew. The job isn’t his until he dies. He could’ve called his shot and exited gracefully but decided not to. There had been stories about how he didn’t put in the work for it before cancer. The consensus now is that he isn’t good at his job. The amount of people that think UA should have all of these golden thrones for these relics is sad.
Eli made a bunch of money and notoriety from Alabama Football. It wasn’t the other way around.
2
Posted on 2/22/24 at 8:41 am to CamAquatic
You can find mentions of it all over other sites. I can’t verify that it’s accurate, but for MRN to fire him after 40 years in the middle of a broadcast, he must have done something egregious. Hitting on college girls while drunk while representing your employer, then harassing her on social media while married sounds like it would fit the circumstances.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 8:54 am to thesneakypelican
quote:
It's shameful and disgusting to see people on this here board celebrate the firing of a legend
Posted on 2/22/24 at 9:11 am to FairhopeTider
Eli on Fox 6 right now complaining about being replaced. He said that they offered A-Day to him but they wanted him to sign an NDA so he wouldn’t bash the school. He said he wasn’t comfortable with that so they took A-Day away.
So he was given the opportunity for a graceful exit as long as he just doesn’t speak ill of the school on his way out. He decided against that.
So he was given the opportunity for a graceful exit as long as he just doesn’t speak ill of the school on his way out. He decided against that.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 9:26 am to FairhopeTider
He’s coming across as a scorned lover. People get replaced all the time in their jobs when their performance no longer meets expectations. He’s not above that happening to him no matter how much he whines.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 9:49 am to Bryant91092
On WJOX this morning Greg McElroy seemed to imply that Chris Stewart was being offered broadcasting jobs by other universities, and the UA administration had to decide whether to make him the lead broadcaster or lose him entirely. They chose to elevate him, which (if all this is true) I think was absolutely the correct decision.
For everyone saying "he's an icon, he's the voice of Alabama, we should have treated him better," consider this hypothetical: Rather than retiring as he did, say Nick Saban went through a three-year period where the football team went 4-8 each year -- not due to catastrophic injury luck, or an overwhelming number of transfers, but just because he wasn't coaching as well as he once did and refused to change his ways, and there was no end in sight. Would you still maintain that Saban deserved to stay the coach until he decided to retire on his own terms?
I've seen a few folks essentially saying "Nobody listens to just the radio any more, so it's not as important to give an accurate picture of the game." If you don't use the radio broadcast as your sole source of info (i.e., you're at the game, or watching on TV, or whatever), I can understand your point.
But many Saturdays I'm out and about, running errands, and the radio broadcast is the only way I can experience the game in real-time. And I defy any of you to listen to Eli and be able to tell me what the down and distance required would be at any given point in the game. He's an icon, no doubt ... but for the last several years he hasn't been good at the basics of play-by-play broadcasting.
For everyone saying "he's an icon, he's the voice of Alabama, we should have treated him better," consider this hypothetical: Rather than retiring as he did, say Nick Saban went through a three-year period where the football team went 4-8 each year -- not due to catastrophic injury luck, or an overwhelming number of transfers, but just because he wasn't coaching as well as he once did and refused to change his ways, and there was no end in sight. Would you still maintain that Saban deserved to stay the coach until he decided to retire on his own terms?
I've seen a few folks essentially saying "Nobody listens to just the radio any more, so it's not as important to give an accurate picture of the game." If you don't use the radio broadcast as your sole source of info (i.e., you're at the game, or watching on TV, or whatever), I can understand your point.
But many Saturdays I'm out and about, running errands, and the radio broadcast is the only way I can experience the game in real-time. And I defy any of you to listen to Eli and be able to tell me what the down and distance required would be at any given point in the game. He's an icon, no doubt ... but for the last several years he hasn't been good at the basics of play-by-play broadcasting.
This post was edited on 2/22/24 at 9:50 am
Posted on 2/22/24 at 10:18 am to Sauron
quote:
On WJOX this morning Greg McElroy seemed to imply that Chris Stewart was being offered broadcasting jobs by other universities, and the UA administration had to decide whether to make him the lead broadcaster or lose him entirely. They chose to elevate him, which (if all this is true) I think was absolutely the correct decision. For everyone saying "he's an icon, he's the voice of Alabama, we should have treated him better," consider this hypothetical: Rather than retiring as he did, say Nick Saban went through a three-year period where the football team went 4-8 each year -- not due to catastrophic injury luck, or an overwhelming number of transfers, but just because he wasn't coaching as well as he once did and refused to change his ways, and there was no end in sight. Would you still maintain that Saban deserved to stay the coach until he decided to retire on his own terms? I've seen a few folks essentially saying "Nobody listens to just the radio any more, so it's not as important to give an accurate picture of the game." If you don't use the radio broadcast as your sole source of info (i.e., you're at the game, or watching on TV, or whatever), I can understand your point. But many Saturdays I'm out and about, running errands, and the radio broadcast is the only way I can experience the game in real-time. And I defy any of you to listen to Eli and be able to tell me what the down and distance required would be at any given point in the game. He's an icon, no doubt ... but for the last several years he hasn't been good at the basics of play-by-play broadcasting.
Mic drop
Posted on 2/22/24 at 10:20 am to FairhopeTider
quote:
For years, Eli did commercials for Salvatore’s Italian Restaurant in Bham. Eventually, Eli opened his own Italian restaurant nearby that competed with them. Salvatore’s pulled those old commercials out and played them everywhere. Soon after, Eli’s restaurant went out of business. Hat tip to Salvatore’s for the the savvy business move.
I don’t remember that but thanks for bringing back memories of Salvatore’s, ate much great pasta there.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 10:34 am to FairhopeTider
He apparently told Rivals that he was expecting to be Bama’s announcer for another decade.
Do we really need an 80-year-old announcer?
Look I know the guy’s iconic and someone on one of the other boards here IMO pegged it that the reason for that, and I would venture why so much Cain is being raised about this, is that aside from when he was sick, he’s been the voice for the entirety of the Saban era, all the glory. He’s all close to a generation of our fans have ever known. Much like Forney with the Bryant era.
But there comes a time when people need to go to the freaking house. It’s obvious he’s not going to do that and is probably going to keep doing this for anyone who will give him a microphone until he keels over dead in the middle of calling a play.
Is it really fair to expect Alabama to facilitate that just because he’s iconic?
Do we really need an 80-year-old announcer?
Look I know the guy’s iconic and someone on one of the other boards here IMO pegged it that the reason for that, and I would venture why so much Cain is being raised about this, is that aside from when he was sick, he’s been the voice for the entirety of the Saban era, all the glory. He’s all close to a generation of our fans have ever known. Much like Forney with the Bryant era.
But there comes a time when people need to go to the freaking house. It’s obvious he’s not going to do that and is probably going to keep doing this for anyone who will give him a microphone until he keels over dead in the middle of calling a play.
Is it really fair to expect Alabama to facilitate that just because he’s iconic?
This post was edited on 2/22/24 at 10:35 am
Posted on 2/22/24 at 10:40 am to thesneakypelican
I liked Eli, though he wasn't the best with down and distance, score, etc. His health was obviously an issue and even at home games last year he sounded tired. I understand the decision of the program to let him go and don't think it's a great look for him to come out and say all of this stuff.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 10:48 am to JIB
quote:
though he wasn't the best with down and distance, score, etc.
Which should be the minimum requirement for a radio broadcaster!
Posted on 2/22/24 at 11:05 am to Bamachief
Never much cared for Eli. He was never a football person nor was he an Alabama fan. NASCAR and Hockey were his schtick. I was shocked when he was hired by Alabama.
Don’t know why he is being let go but wouldn’t make much of a difference to me.
I thought he was very good doing play by play for Birmingham Bulls.
Don’t know why he is being let go but wouldn’t make much of a difference to me.
I thought he was very good doing play by play for Birmingham Bulls.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 11:18 am to Bamachief
quote:
Which should be the minimum requirement for a radio broadcaster!
There were times when it was nice to have the radio synced with the tv when the tv crew was crap.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 11:46 am to Sauron
quote:
Would you still maintain that Saban deserved to stay the coach until he decided to retire on his own terms?
Agreed with your post. I think Saban would have a much better argument that he’d be entitled to go out on his own iterms given everything that he’s done for the University. Certainly more than a freaking announcer.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 11:52 am to BamaGradinTn
quote:
He called George Teague's strip of Lamar Thomas a fumble, botching one of the most iconic plays in Bama football history
That was a fumble, though.
This post was edited on 2/22/24 at 11:56 am
Posted on 2/22/24 at 11:55 am to notguilty
quote:
He should be retained because he is a loyal, dedicated, hardworking, passionate, enthusiastic person/employee/fan
He totally took a dump on the University after not being renewed. He could have been gracious and grateful, but instead he took the opportunity to shite on Alabama which proves he's nothing like you described.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 3:18 pm to JIB
quote:
don't think it's a great look for him to come out and say all of this stuff.
yeah…with his health and game calling both obviously deteriorating, I think Eli missed an opportunity to graciously step aside and go out in style as the “voice of UA football” and focus on his other endeavors. If what McElroy said is true, UA kinda needed to go ahead and make that move. Time moves on for everyone.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 4:26 pm to RollTide1987
quote:
Down vote me all you want, but there’s a better way to go about removing the man who spent 35 years in the broadcast booth.
What would that way be? They didn’t terminate him. They simply didn’t renew his contract. What other option was there?
Renew it, promise him the job, and then push him out while he is still under contract?
Renew it and let him keep doing the job as long as he wanted to (he said he wanted to do it for another 10 years) even if the quality isn’t good?
I 1000% respect Eli and all of that, but the options were either keep him there and let the decline continue until they were forced to kick him out of the booth, or simply not renew his contract before it gets to that point. It doesn’t sound like Eli had any plans to step away on his own anytime soon.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 4:29 pm to thesneakypelican
quote:
Exactly, the amount of disrespectful Alabama fans celebrating one of the most iconic voices of Alabama football history being forced out is disgusting. However, it's incredibly indicative of our society writ large now.
It’s not like they asked him to ease out during his prime or anywhere close to it.
It’s not on UA to keep him employed until his death.
Posted on 2/22/24 at 4:50 pm to Roll Tide Ravens
quote:
A statement from Crimson Tide Sports Network was just shared via email
quote:
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