No lack of homage and nostalgia for Monday Night Football over the holidays. It has now ended its long ABC run. Before there was Watergate there was Howard Cosell & Co. in the booth of banter.
For all of its pop culture-icon status, MNF became a double-edged sword. It not only raised pro football to prime time entertainment fare, it also elevated commentators and announcers to celebrity status. It helped ratchet the business of pro football to in-your-face show biz. It eventually begot ESPN and a slew of network and cable programs featuring over-the-top, shtick-minded personalities. That’s its legacy.