Mike Tirico Calls Out ESPN Anchors For Wasting Everyone's Time Talking About Their Fandom

Mike Tirico grew up a diehard New York Mets fan, but gave that fandom up as soon as he found his footing in the journalism and broadcasting world, which is something he believes everyone in the business should do.

Tirico, 58, subscribes to the idea that if you're a member of the media covering a certain game or team, there is no room to have a rooting interest. He is a ‘no cheering in the press box’ guy, which is completely fair, especially given the fact that he's routinely on the call for some of the biggest sporting events in the world.

During a recent appearance on the ‘The Orange Zone’ podcast, Tirico shared some background on how he used to regularly attend Mets games growing up, as his childhood home was just five miles from Shea Stadium. He even had a family member who worked security for the franchise, leading to Tirico attending hundreds of New York games as a kid.

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Tirico has fond memories of the Mets winning the 1986 World Series over the Boston Red Sox, but had made a promise to himself that if they reached the mountain top he'd officially leave his fandom behind.

"It was so pathetic in the 70s and the early 80s that I promised myself if they won once in my lifetime, I’d move on," Tirico said on the podcast.

Mike Tirico wishes SportsCenter anchors would stop talking about their fandom. (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

He stayed true to his word, and made it clear that he wished everyone else covering sports, specifically those at ESPN, would stop letting their fandom seep into their coverage.

"You start covering it nationally, and realize you can’t have fandom seep in," Tirico said. "Now, people do now, and it bothers me. I don’t like watching SportsCenter or other shows on ESPN where the anchors are talking about who they’re fans of. Like, who cares? I don’t care. I would much rather know the 20 seconds about something related to that team that I don’t know, as opposed to your fandom."

Some may accuse Tirico here of being an ‘old man yelling at the clouds,’ but he makes a more than fair point.

Over recent years, SportsCenter has certainly lost some of its legitimacy as a go-to spot for sports news, as it's now more of an opinion show that, on the rare occasion, shows highlights from a game that lasts more than 20 seconds.

"Now, generationally, people kind of like it because they can relate to the anchors a bit more, so I get it. I’m just saying my personal choice is — that’s the way I was brought up as a journalist," Tirico continued. "I don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat. I don’t care if you’re a Phillies fan or a 49ers fan. Your job is to tell me the news."