Kevin Harlan is the best to ever do it. I do not necessarily mean doing play-by-play for sporting events — although, let’s face it, the list of people whose names are above Harlan is awfully short — but instead, I mean that no one is even in the same galaxy as Harlan when it comes to adding some flair to an idiot running on the field during a sporting event.
The latest example of this came during the snoozer that was Super Bowl LV, in which Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers totally flummoxed Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs en route to a 31-9 win. During the game’s fourth quarter, someone bolted onto the field, and while the main CBS broadcast treated them how you normally would when this happens (move the camera off of them, don’t give them attention, Stern Voices™), Harlan decided to touch triple-figures on the gun with some all-time heat.
Kevin Harlan's call of the idiot on the field (w/video from @rlacey23) : pic.twitter.com/iAI7WDi5xx
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) February 8, 2021
My personal favorite line is Harlan screaming, “He’s pulling down his pants! PUT UP YOUR PANTS, MY MAN! PULL UP THOSE PANTS!” Even beyond that, there are about a billion different good nuggets in this single 46-second clip, and with how extremely serious broadcasters can get during these moments — which, in fairness, completely makes sense because you should not do that, especially amid a global pandemic — Harlan opting to have fun really is a blast.
