Thom Brennaman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thom Brennaman
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Brennaman in 2018
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Thomas Wade Brennaman
September 12, 1963 |
| Alma mater | Ohio University |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) | Polly |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Marty Brennaman and Brenda Dickey |
| Sports commentary career | |
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Thomas Wade Brennaman (born September 12, 1963) is an American television sportscaster. He is currently the main announcer for CW Sports college football games. Thom is the son of Marty Brennaman, who was also a famous sportscaster for the Cincinnati Reds.
Thom Brennaman worked for Fox Sports from 1994 to 2020. He was also the television voice for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998 to 2006. Later, he became the voice of the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 to 2020. His time with the Reds and Fox Sports ended suddenly when he made an inappropriate comment during a game broadcast. His on-air apology, which was interrupted by a baseball play, became a well-known moment online. Since then, he has worked as a commentator for the Roberto Clemente League and Chatterbox Sports.
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Broadcasting Career
After finishing high school in Cincinnati in 1982, Thom Brennaman went to Ohio University. He wasn't sure if he wanted to follow his dad's career path in broadcasting. While at college, he joined a radio station called WATH. This is where he discovered his own passion for radio. After graduating in 1986, Brennaman worked as a sports reporter and anchor for WLWT-TV in Cincinnati. During this time, he also announced games for the Cincinnati Reds alongside baseball legend Johnny Bench.
In the early 1990s, he announced Chicago Cubs games for WGN-TV. He often worked with famous broadcaster Harry Caray. Brennaman would usually call parts of the game on radio and other parts on television.
Fox Sports
In 1994, Fox Sports hired Thom Brennaman. He announced games for the National Football League and Major League Baseball. He also called college football and college basketball games for Fox.
Brennaman was the first television announcer for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He worked with them from 1998 to 2006. He left the Diamondbacks after the 2006 season to join his father, Marty, in Cincinnati.
In 2006, Fox named Brennaman their main play-by-play announcer for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). He called the BCS National Championship Game and other big bowl games like the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, 2008 Sugar Bowl, and 2009 Orange Bowl.
The Big Ten Network also chose Brennaman as their main college football announcer for two seasons starting in 2007. He returned to calling NFL games full-time for Fox in 2009. He often worked with former football coach Brian Billick. Brennaman also announced the Cotton Bowl Classic for Fox from 2000 to 2006.
National Baseball Work
From 1996 to 2015, Thom Brennaman was part of Fox Sports' national baseball broadcast team. He called many important postseason games from 1996 to 2006.
He was notably on the call for the "Steve Bartman incident" during a 2003 playoff game. This was when a fan interfered with a play involving Moisés Alou. Brennaman described the moment, saying, "Again in the air, down the left field line. Alou... reaching into the stands... and couldn't get it and he's livid with a fan!"
Brennaman was also announcing when Randy Johnson threw a perfect game in 2004. This is a very rare event in baseball where no opposing player reaches base.
After 2015, Brennaman focused more on his work with the Cincinnati Reds.
Cincinnati Reds
On October 3, 2006, the Cincinnati Reds hired Thom Brennaman. He announced Reds games on television and radio. Thom no longer broadcasts for the Cincinnati Reds. His father, Marty, retired from the Reds near the end of the 2019 season.
Important Event and Apology
On August 19, 2020, while announcing a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals, Brennaman was caught on a microphone making an inappropriate comment. The Reds quickly took him off the air during the second game.
Before leaving the broadcast booth, Brennaman apologized for his remark. He said he was "deeply ashamed" if he "hurt anyone out there." He also mentioned that he wasn't sure if he would broadcast again.
Many people noticed that his apology was interrupted. As Brennaman was saying he was "a man of faith," he suddenly paused to call a home run hit by Nick Castellanos. He then continued his apology, saying he apologized to "the people who sign my paycheck." He also said, "That is not who I am, and never has been."
Later that night, the Reds announced that Brennaman was suspended. The next day, Fox Sports said he would not be part of their NFL broadcasts in 2020.
Brennaman wrote a longer apology for The Cincinnati Enquirer. He also reached out to an organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community to make further amends. About a month later, Brennaman officially resigned from the Reds and Fox Sports Ohio. He told USA Today that he realized his remark "hurt a lot of people" and that he would "have to live with it for the rest of my life."
Brennaman's apology, especially the part about Nick Castellanos's home run, quickly became a popular online meme. People would use it to jokingly interrupt apologies that didn't seem sincere.
In November 2024, Brennaman even joked about the incident himself while calling a college football game for the CW. He smiled at the camera when talking about a player named Thomas Castellanos.
Later Broadcasting Work
In December 2020, it was announced that Brennaman would announce games for the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico for the 2020–21 season.
On July 22, 2021, Chatterbox Sports, a streaming service for high school games in Cincinnati, hired Brennaman. The president of Chatterbox Sports said he wanted to give Brennaman a second chance. He believed Brennaman was a good person who made a mistake he deeply regretted.
In 2024, it was reported that Brennaman was hired by CW Sports as their main announcer for college football games. He called the first Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl on December 28, 2024.
In April 2025, Brennaman became the host of a morning talk show on Cincinnati radio station 700 WLW.
Other Ventures
Thom Brennaman has also done voice-over work for video games like Microsoft Baseball 2001 and the All-Star Baseball series. He has announced college basketball games for CBS Radio and Fox Sports Net. He also used to be a spokesperson for CBTS, a company in Cincinnati.
