When the Talent's There...

Noah Eagle has proven himself to be one of the best up-and-coming sportscasters in the business.  He was excellent calling Olympic basketball for NBC and will likely be one of the network's NBA voices when their contract starts next season.  He also does play-by-play for NBC's weekly Big Ten game and gets the call whenever they need a second NFL crew.  He even did one of the Netflix Christmas games and is a fixture on some of those alt-casts that are becoming increasingly popular!

It's also true that Noah Eagle is Ian Eagle's son.  They sound so alike that I sometimes can't even tell their voices apart.  But to say Noah Eagle has only gotten where he is because of his father isn't just ridiculous, it's insulting.  Because he wouldn't have risen through the ranks so quickly if he didn't have the talent to back it up.  And Noah Eagle most definitely has the talent!

The same can be said for Kenny Albert and Joe Buck.  They're both the sons of legendary broadcasters, as well.  That's not why they've risen to the top of the profession, though.  And you'd get very little argument that Kenny Albert and Joe Buck are among the best in the business.  Which has everything to do with them and nothing to do with Marv Albert or Jack Buck.

Kenny Albert is one of the most versatile broadcasters in all of sports.  He's the lead play-by-play announcer for the NHL on TNT, has done football on FOX for years, and has also contributed to FOX's baseball coverage.  "Marv Albert's son" rarely, if ever, comes up.  And it shouldn't.  Kenny has carved out a long, prolific career all on his own.

When Joe Buck was first hired by FOX as their primary baseball play-by-play announcer in the mid-90s, he was so you that the "Jack's son" comments were definitely there.  By the time he left FOX for ESPN, he wasn't even doing baseball anymore.  He had become one of the most respected football play-by-play guys and was so desired that ESPN actively sought him out for Monday Night Football.  That was all Joe.  He isn't just "Jack Buck's son" anymore.

I won't sit here and argue that being the son of a broadcasting legend hasn't helped them.  I'm sure it was incredibly beneficial to learn the trade from a top professional from an early age.  And, yes, having that connection probably opened some doors.  But to suggest nepotism is the only reason is as unfair as it is untrue.  Because no matter how you get your foot in the door, the only way you're staying there is if you're good enough.

Take Jac Collinsworth.  He did play-by-play for Notre Dame and the UFL on NBC.  He wasn't good at it, and, as a result, got replaced as the play-by-play voice of Notre Dame football.  Now Jac is back doing "Football Night In America" and other studio work, which is much more suitable for him (and he still isn't great at that).  Jac Collinsworth got promoted to Notre Dame play-by-play (in effect, NBC's No. 2 football guy), in large part, because he's Cris Collinsworth's son.  But he couldn't cut it in the role, so he was replaced.

Let's not pretend that broadcasting is the only place in sports where nepotism is on display, either.  LeBron James did not hide the fact that he wanted to be like the Griffeys and be in the same lineup as his son.  That's why the Lakers drafted Bronny and that's why they put him on their opening night roster despite the fact that talent-wise, he's not an NBA player.  After they played in that one game together, Bronny was demoted to the G League (which, frankly, is where he belongs).

We see it all the time in coaching, too.  One of Bill Belichick's first hires at North Carolina was his son, Stephen.  Plenty of people suspect that one of his conditions/reasons for taking the job was that they hire his son, as well.  Whether that's true or not, the fact remains.  Stephen Belichick likely wouldn't have been hired as an assistant coach at North Carolina if his father wasn't the head coach.

There are more examples than I can count in the coaching ranks!  Rick Pitino's son, Richard, went from his father's Associate Head Coach to the head coach at Florida International, and is now at New Mexico.  John & Jim Harbaugh's dad, Jack, is a legendary college coach.  Father & son Mike & Kyle Shanahan have both coached their teams to multiple Super Bowls (with Mike winning two in Denver).

Regardless of how they started out, none of these coaches would've gotten head jobs if they weren't qualified for them.  They certainly wouldn't have gotten multiple jobs and/or kept them this long if they didn't deserve them.  Especially in a profession like coaching, a job where you know there's a very good chance you'll end up getting fired, it's merit based.  If you can't cut it as a head coach, it doesn't matter who your dad is.

A few months ago, Emma Roberts did an interview where she acknowledged that being Julia Roberts' niece actually hasn't been easy.  Yes, it's opened some doors for her.  But there's also a certain weight of expectations and the extra pressure she's felt of constantly feeling like she has to prove herself.  She wants her career to stand on its own.  Which is exactly what these sportscasters/coaches want, as well.

That's why I think simply labeling these jobs as "nepotism" can be a copout.  Is it sometimes warranted to say that?  Absolutely!  But not when the guy has proven time and again that he has the chops.  Kenny Albert and Joe Buck have done that.  Hence, they never get the nepotism talk anymore.  And Noah Eagle shouldn't, either.

He's still young (only 28), so maybe in time, Noah Eagle will shed the "nepotism" label, too.  Because, make no mistake, he's got a very long career ahead of him.  And it's got nothing to do with the fact he's Ian Eagle's son.  It's because Noah Eagle has quickly established himself as one of the best in the business.  Already.  And he's only gonna get better.  That's all him.