Brent Musburger – Now a Vegas Source on Sirrus Radio?

Well it all comes down to a Brand and Money and the power that comes with it, and now many novice sports bettors will pin their hopes on the ex-ABC / ESPN Analyst and Play by Play announcer’s advice for Sports Betting. He has never handicapped a game in his life other than his parlays that his sponsor said he likes to do, a guy who knows nothing about the ins and outs of Sports Betting or the Handicapping techniques involved for success, now a star in Vegas at South Point with a 5 day a week show out of the South Point Sportsbook as his new gig. Bear in mind to all who read this, you handicap the lines, not the games.

It should be noted that Brent is a respected broadcaster, one I have watched for years like all of you, and one who has called some legendary games, and also a guy who hardly ever failed to mention the spread in a game he called. There is no doubt he had a keen interest in the line on the game, and sometimes he even mentioned a late score in the game that meant nothing, meant something in Vegas. I always respected him for the fact he knew what a large part of his listen demographic was, and that was sports gamblers.

Unfortunately that does not translate to a handicapping radio format and handicapping games, and I speak from experience as a 14 year veteran handicapper and sports broadcaster, one with a national Gig for the past 5 years with either Yahoo Sports Radio, SB Nation Radio (who replaced YSR) and also on Sirius the past 4 years simulcast, and on local / regional / national ESPN with both capping shows, guest spots, as well as 2 hour nightly mainstream sports shows, and also a Handicapping show on Armed Forces radio for 14 years running. Breaking down games from a handicapping point of view versus a mainstream view is a different animal all together.

Here is a snippet from ESPN on the recent Announcement:

“Musburger will be the lead voice of the Vegas Stats & Information Network, a new multichannel national operation dedicated to sports gambling that will be broadcast on Sirius XM radio out of a studio at the South Point casino.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Friday afternoon at the South Point. Former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, martini in hand and flanked by showgirls, was among a few hundred people in attendance.

“I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed my retirement,” joked Musburger, who called his last game for ESPN on Tuesday, capping a hall of fame broadcasting career that spanned five decades.

He’ll join his nephew Brian Musburger, the founder and chairman of VSiN, along with veteran boxing announcer Al Bernstein and longtime Las Vegas bookmakers Jimmy Vaccaro, Vinny Magliulo and Chris Andrews, who Musburger affectionately referred to as his “friends in the desert.”

“Brent’s favorite afternoon snack is a three-teamer [parlay],” Vaccaro quipped.

The network will kick off in full on Feb. 27.

Jimmy Vaccarro is one of the guests as a legendary and ancient sportsbook manager in Las Vegas, word is Al Bernstein is also going have a show (Is Al a Sports Capper or known Bettor?), all out of Vegas and Sirius has leased a channel dedicated to the Las Vegas aspect of sports, and for that I applaud them. Also it was brought to my attention through a source in Las Vegas in the Sportsbook Industry that no Las Vegas handicappers who sell plays online are allowed on the network and they sourcing outside of the pool of many talented handicappers who also double in the sports broadcasting arena. So be it.

It is a sad day when mainstream media takes a huge leap like this and leaves out the guys who have been in the trenches for years and years and were shunned and ridiculed by the mainstream media as the lowest common denominator of human filth for bringing up the obvious: people bet games. It is a 250 billion dollar illegal business in the US that the networks and pro leagues have thrived off of. Now it is brought to the forefront by 77 year old Brent Musburger who has publically stated he wants to set up his sons Scott and Blake in Vegas with a handicapping company.

Am I bitter, am I crying over spilt milk? No I am not, I am doing my own thing as I have always done, and have a fruitful career in the legitimate handicapping world and have my own national show 22 weeks a year. There are a few other Las Vegas cappers also making a splash as well outside of local Vegas radio. Gambling will be legal in every casino in the United States within the next 3-7 years in my opinion, and will fall into place sooner than that in a few aggressive states already pursuing it. That being a foregone conclusion, so will be handicapping shows all over the nation in terms of being more prominent and other opportunities will pop up for guys like myself, but I am in the hopes professional handicappers can advise the public, not a retired play by play guy who no doubt has creditability in broadcasting, just absolutely 0% knowledge of capping games for a living.

Tony George is a respected Handicapper and National Sports Broadcaster and can be followed  or contacted  at https://www.betgeeks.com/members/tonygeorge/profile/