Ryan Burr: A Q&A With ESPN Anchorman
Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 5:28PM 
One Great Season is marking its one-year anniversary this week with interviews of several sports media personalities. Today's subject is Ryan Burr, who anchors "SportsCenter" and other shows on ESPN, and hosted the network's in-studio preview show before LeBron James' "The Decision" on July 8. Feel free to suggest future interviews by clicking here.
By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
One Great Season: You were part of ESPN's studio pre-show for "The Decision." What was your reaction when your superiors told you earlier that week that you'd be hosting that studio show?
Ryan Burr: Obviously I was excited, first and foremost. Whether I agreed with LeBron having a one-hour show for himself or not, I knew there would be a lot of eyeballs on that show. Just like a player who wants to play in the big game, as an anchor, my goal is to be in the biggest spots that are out there, and as far as I knew, that was going to be the biggest of my career so far.
OGS: A far cry from "NASCAR Now," which you began hosting on ESPN in 2007, eh?
RB: I knew nothing about NASCAR and had no passion for it, but I knew it would help me get to other, better spots later. That was a definite stepping stone for me.
OGS: Leading up to "The Decision," what were you expecting from that unprecedented hour of television?
RB: I knew it would be a different show than normal. We were just kind of continuing to build, build and build until the decision came on at 9 o'clock. My goal was to keep my energy up and make it interesting for the people who were watching.
I think I was following the LeBron story as closely as anyone, and while it was becoming more apparent that Miami was going to be a possible destination, I still really believed he was going to stay put and try to finish what he started in Cleveland. Until that last moment, I still believed he was staying.
OGS: And what was your reaction to it as it was unfolding?
RB: There's no doubt in my mind that LeBron went about it the wrong way and he came off about as bad as he could have come off. If he was going to Miami, I can't fault the guy. He can play and live wherever he wants, as you and I can. I have no problem if he's going to decide on Miami. But if he's going to do it, maybe he should have walked out with Bosh and D. Wade together. It looked like he thought he was bigger than them, and maybe he also wanted to stick it to Cleveland for some reason. I just thought he came across poorly.
OGS: Stephen A. Smith had predicted a Miami triumverate two weeks ahead of time, and ESPN critics accused the network of subsequently spreading mis-information to create drama and increase viewership. What was your reaction to that part of the story?
RB: I know there was some criticism that we overhyped it, and that's a matter of opinion, but our job is to make people want to stick around and watch it.
OGS: It's been pretty much unanimous that it was a self-indulgent move to plan that show. How has your opinion of LeBron changed, if at all? Do you think he's made some enemies around the league?
RB: I don't know about around the league. I don't think any of the players in the league can fault LeBron a bit. That's why there's free agency in the NBA. Twenty-five guys are going to change teams this offseason. Did he come off as ridiculously ego-centric? Absolutely. He probably lost himself a lot of fans.
OGS: Lastly on LeBron, who has hurt himself more: him or Tiger?
RB: Tiger did something wrong. Tiger did something that you shake your head at. Especially among women, Tiger probably won't be able to get back some of the fans he lost. LeBron did nothing wrong; he just went about doing something the wrong way. Even though Tiger has done things better than LeBron from a strategic standpoint since, what LeBron did was within the rules. He just didn't come off as good as he could have.
OGS: Outside of these two, what has been the biggest single story of the last year?
RB: The Saints were pretty big. To beat Favre and the Vikings in overtime in the NFC Championship game and then beat the Colts in the Super Bowl for that town -- that was pretty big. Even though I'm a college basketball guy by preference, the NFL still rules the roost.
OGS: Being from Pittsburgh, having gone to school at Syracuse and now living and working in Connecticut, you're seen your share of Big East Tournaments. What makes that event unlike any other conference tournament?
RB: Just the energy of New York City, of (Madison Square) Garden, the world's most famous arena. I've been to probably the last four, and the day it's over, I start counting down the days until the next year. That first day, the games start at noon and go until 1 a.m. It's such a great atmosphere, and obviously the Big East is such a great conference. You're seeing six or seven teams that realistically could play for the national championship. It's almost like a Final Four weekend because honestly the teams are so good.
OGS: Judging by your involvement in ESPN's studio coverage of both college football and college basketball, is September the best time of year, or March? And why?
RB: I'm that crazy sports fan that I'm always just waiting so eagerly for the next season. Right now I can't wait for college football. But the best three weeks of the year are definitely the NCAA Tournament. That said, if college football ever got a playoff, it could surpass March Madness.
OGS: With the emergence of Twitter and sports websites, how has the blogosphere changed the way you go about your daily routine at ESPN?
RB: It's become a source. I think we all do it at ESPN. It's the new way. You just have to open yourself up to the fact that there are other people who are dialed in and have information that you might be able to use. The right thing to do at work or even on an off day at home is check and see what's out there.
I'm all over the board. Whatever topic I'm working on, I'm all over Google. That's how I stumbled across One Great Season. You find a site, you read it, enjoy it, then bookmark it and look for the next good one.
Tuesday's Q&A: ESPN College Football Reporter Joe Schad.
Reader Comments (3)
I went to school (Syracuse), with Ryan and I must say that it good to see you doing your thing. I am proud of you.
You are my baby, you are my flower, thanks for gucci handbags outlet your help, thank you for your love
Burr has done a great job going from marble mouthed pledge @ Syracuse University to a legit ESPN studio host. Nice work on getting it together Brother Burr!