The show must go on.
That business-like approach is what John Anderson has carried with him all of his life, and it’s that approach, plus his sense of humor and excitement about sports that’s made him a well-respected analyst and broadcaster during his illustrious career.
Anderson, who competed in track and field at the University of Missouri during his collegiate career, has covered some of the biggest marathons and track meets in the world, including the Boston Marathon and the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He’s also covered some of the biggest sporting events in the world during his career across multiple sports.
Back in March, Anderson announced that he would be leaving SportsCenter in June after 25 years on the show. Anderson said that while he doesn’t want a big sendoff, he would like to have superstar hurdler on his last show, so that the fans can get to know more about not only Grant Holloway, but to get eyes on the sport of track and field as well. He was a recent guest on the Lactic Acid Podcast, and here is a piece of the conversation that we had.
Dom: How was the Boston Marathon this year?
John: It was great. I enjoyed how distinctly different the races were. I thought Evans Chebet probably wouldn’t win just because history says it’s so hard to win the same race three times right. No other reason that has to do with his fitness, it’s kind of just history that says that doesn’t happen. I thought for Sisay Lemma, it was spectacular that he went out in 60:19. But you’re like well, hold a little something back because you know the hills are coming at 21. And given his history there, I can see why the guys let him go. So Lemma was great. And even after that, I thought, wow, yes, they let him go. And maybe they made a mistake, but I think that he was too good.
And then the women’s race was awesome, in that if you’re going to do the opposite, not run 60:19 – If you’re going to go out that conservatively, let’s have 20 of the best women in the world running together for 20 some miles. And I loved it that they ran at a pace that Desi Linden was in there for a while, Dom Scott was in the back. Emma Bates was in there and led for a while. I thought that part was great. And then you had Americans, you had really experienced marathon runners from Ethiopia and Kenya, you had Edna Kiplagat, who’s 44, and she’s in that race. And then you’ve got Sharon Lokedi, who’s still kind of a rookie, and then you’ve got the greatest track one of the greatest track runners of all time, Helen Obiri. And so I thought it was just fantastic.
Dom: You have this insane versatility. You’ve covered the 60m to the marathon. I don’t want to say which one’s your favorite, but which one is more fun to prepare for?
John: Well, the thing about the marathon is at least you get a chance to use all that preparation. In the 60m. It’s hard to spit out a lot of facts. Because they’re quick. I’ve been in Boston a bunch. How great was that? I got to the NCAA championships indoors in Boston – the first time they’d been there, and then followed it up a few weeks later with the marathon. That’s good living right there.
Dom: How much fun are you having just getting a chance to explore and meet these new people, and cover these events?
John: I’ve been really lucky to get to do that. I’ve put my toe in the water some with USATF at Albuquerque for the indoor last year, I got to go out and do some of the National Championships which was great fun, in addition to all the NCAA stuff I get to do, and the SEC stuff. So I love that as much as I’ve loved SportsCenter, it’s great to get out.
But I just love being around the athletes, the kids, because I’m 59. So I can tell them that they’re interesting people, they all have great stories. They’re all funny in their own way. So yeah, I get it. Some people are like oh, why are you never serious? I think I’m serious when I have to be. If not, I’d like to see more about these people and who they are and what makes them tick. I love to meet them. I love to build relationships with them and know who they are. And stuff like that manifests itself in different ways.
Dom: After all of your years of work, what do you want that last episode of SportsCenter to look like?
John: I want it to look like every other one. I want to get to the end, and say SportsCenter is next, and just walk off. The show still needs to be the show. And while it’s cool, and people know it’s the last one – I don’t want any conceits to it. For 25 years, I’ve tried to just do the show, and the show and the athletes in it are the thing. The show has never been and should not be about anybody that does it. I just want the show to be the show.
Dom: How do you get to that point?
John: I think that’s the way I’ve always been. I am a conduit to give you the information on the people you want to see, the games you want to know about, or the stories that you should know. That’s just how I view the job. I don’t know if it’s any different after 25 years than it was on the first day. If you saw me on SportsCenter and then you saw me on 2-for-1 riblet night at Applebees, you’ll say that’s the same guy. Somebody didn’t at least think that I was terribly offensive for 25 years, and here I am.
