Podcast: Where I Tell Chris Fowler How Much I Love Him...Plus Football & Tennis!

Of all the interviews I've done in close to 600 shows, I've never had the good fortune to talk to ESPN's Chris Fowler. Finally, we can cross that name off the podcast bucket list. 

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Fowler and I talk about everything from college football to tennis and back again, wondering how a pair of sports that are as different as any two sports could be ended up as his two favorites. 

We talk about the difference between calling a game in the booth and working College Gameday, and Fowler gives some unique insight into how the setup for College Gameday accounts for all the chaos that surrounds the live show.

We chat about some of the greatest events he's covered, including the national championship between Texas and USC. We also talk about some of the great tennis matches he's worked, including the Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal Aussie Open final last week. At what point did they realize they weren't just covering a great match but also history as it happened?

I ask about the role of the tennis play-by-play and color analyst, wondering how much is calling the action and how much is playing amateur psychiatrist, trying to get inside the heads of two players who are alone on an island together for more than five hours.

We talk about the tennis challenge system and wonder why other sports haven't adopted it yet. We also touch on his work at the FIFA World Cup and talk a lot about social media and how both hosts and analysts can use it to their advantage during events. Does following Twitter work for play-by-play guys? Does it work better in tennis because of all the down time between games and sets, or can it actually work in college football? Did he get bombarded with vitriol toward Craig James every Thursday night?

We also discuss the nature of social interaction through new media, specifically framed within the mindset of crazy fans who tweet insanity—both positively and negatively—toward high school and college kids.

There's a lot more to this show, including how Fowler feels about college football fans pigeon-holing him into their favorite sport and the madness around Signing Day. Fowler is extremely candid in this interview and very passionate about the sports he gets to cover. That certainly comes through.