Gus Johnson: Voice of NCAA Tournament Leaving CBS Broadcast Team

Gus Johnson, the man whose energetic calls and booming bellowing voice came to embody all that is great and glorious about the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, is leaving CBS broadcast team according to a Sports Illustrated report today. 

Yes, you read that right. The man who has become one of the voices of college basketball and NFL football on CBS over the years, whose propensity for calling brilliant buzzer beaters charmed the pants off the American public during March Madness and came to embody the spirit of the upset, is leaving the network that airs the tournament. 

Truly, it is a dark day for the American public. Fortunately, we haven't seen the last of Gus and his calls; he's going to be doing play-by-play for the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight on Showtime (admit it, you want to pay for that pay-per-view now, don't you?). 

But, what will the future hold for Gus? Per the report:

"

The announcer was one of the candidates for the NFL Network's play-by-play job on its eight-game Thursday night package. The network announced today that longtime ESPN announcer Brad Nessler had landed the assignment.

Industry sources said Johnson has spoken with Fox Sports about a role in its college football coverage.

"

Even if Gus goes to Fox, while we'll still get to see him, it just won't be the same. How in the world could the NFL Network pass up a guy like Gus Johnson, who remains the most exciting announcer in sports (seriously, the guy could make chess thrilling to watch)? 

Gus came to fame in the early 2000s, thanks to his energetic calls and ability to completely lose his mind on the air at the end of close games. He helped to indoctrinate a new generation of sports fans with a love of college basketball through his calls of upsets (which he somehow always managed to be the one calling).

He was always good at NFL games too, losing his mind on touchdowns, but his frenetic, high-energy style was well-suited to the high-intensity environment of the college basketball world. 

How did CBS let this happen? I'll tell you how: Rather than giving Gus good games during the Madness this season, they buried him on Tru TV (with good games, but still, no one watches Tru TV!), forcing fans to go hunting to hear Johnson go insane during close games. Despite this, Johnson didn't disappoint, delivering his fair share of upsets and thrillers despite being trapped on the most obscure network airing games. 

To make matters worse, Gus' soundboard, formerly located here, has completely vanished. 

Shame on you, CBS. Shame. We're going to miss you, Gus. March just won't be the same without hearing your call a first-round upset.