Tommy Smyth
{{Short description|Irish soccer commentator (born 1946)}}
{{For|the Welsh rugby union international|Tommy Smyth (rugby union)}}
{{BLP sources|date=February 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Tommy Smyth
| image = Tommy Smyth.jpg
| caption = Tommy Smyth in 2019
| birth_name = Thomas Michael Smyth
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|12|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = Knockbridge, County Louth, Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education =
| occupation = Sports Commentator
| spouse =
| website =
}}
Thomas Michael Smyth (pronounced Smith) (born 19 December 1946) is an Irish soccer commentator. Since February 1993, he has been employed by ESPN in the United States, where his primary role is as color commentator and in-studio analyst for major soccer events. He also commentates on Gaelic games, horse racing, harness racing, and American football.
Career
=Player=
Smyth moved to the United States in 1963 following a brief football career with a local Irish team. In America, he played with the Shamrock Club in the German American Soccer League as well as for the Boston Beacons of the North American Soccer League.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}
=Commentator=
Early in his career, Smyth was a commentator for Gaelic sports at Gaelic Park in The Bronx, New York, including Gaelic football and hurling matches for the local leagues from U-12 up to senior level.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} He, at least once, made a comical remark in regards to the poor level of play in a UEFA Champions League game, saying "I've seen better games played at Gaelic Park in Riverdale."{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}
Smyth was the voice of the MetroStars of Major League Soccer from the team's inception in 1996 to the early 2000s, when his ESPN contract prohibited him from working for the MSG Network.
Smyth was the color commentator for the Philadelphia Union between 2017 and 2021 alongside JP Dellacamera.{{Cite web |last=Yoder |first=Matt |date=2017-01-26 |title=Tommy Smyth departing ESPN, will call Philadelphia Union games |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/tommy-smyth-departing-espn-will-call-philadelphia-union-games.html |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Awful Announcing |language=en-US}} Previously, he regularly covered ESPN International matches weekly for La Liga, Serie A, the FA Cup, and International matches, and was one of the regular panelist on ESPNSoccernet PressPass which is hosted by Derek Rae. Rae and Smyth also commentated matches from the UEFA Champions League coverage on ESPN networks inside and outside the United States, forming the lead broadcast team on ESPN2, including the final on-location.{{Cite web |date=2009-05-21 |title=ESPN Goes to Rome for 2009 UEFA Champions League Final |url=https://sportsmedianews.com/espn-goes-to-rome-for-2009-uefa-champions-league-final/ |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Sports Media News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Christopher |date=2013-04-09 |title=ESPN Deserves Praise For Excellent Champions League Coverage |url=https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/espn-deserves-praise-for-excellent-champions-league-coverage-20080522-CMS-2167.html |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=World Soccer Talk |language=en}} The duo also paired up for their coverage of UEFA Euro 2008 for the early games{{cite web |last=Powell |first=Brian |date=2008-05-28 |title=Your ESPN/ABC Commentators For Euro 2008 |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/2008-articles/your-espnabc-commentators-for-euro-2008.html |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Awful Announcing |language=en-US}} and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup{{Cite web |date=2009-06-11 |title=ESPN and ESPN2 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Television Commentators |url=https://sportsmedianews.com/espn-and-espn2-2009-fifa-confederations-cup-television-commentators/ |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Sports Media News |language=en-US}} before they returned to provide alternate British English coverage on the Amazon Video broadcast of Thursday Night Football in the US since 2017.{{Cite press release |date=2019-09-25 |title=Amazon Prime Video Launches New Features for Thursday Night Football Allowing NFL Fans Around the Globe to Customize Their Streaming Experience |url=https://press.aboutamazon.com/2019/9/amazon-prime-video-launches-new-features-for-thursday-night-football-allowing-nfl-fans-around-the-globe-to-customize-their-streaming-experience |access-date=2023-06-30 |publisher=Amazon |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Bupp |first=Phillip |date=2017-09-29 |title=Amazon's NFL UK broadcast team is brutally honest about Bears' performance on TNF |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/streaming/amazons-nfl-uk-broadcast-team-brutally-honest-bears-bad-performance.html |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Awful Announcing |language=en-US}} He called three World Cups on television with ESPN, including 2006, where he partnered with Adrian Healey. In 2007, he joined ESPN's MLS broadcast team. He commentated on the UEFA Highlight show on Thursdays and Fridays. He would occasionally be a phone-in guest pundit mostly during the UEFA Champions League campaigns on the CSRN radio program, The 2 G's, sharing his opinion regarding the upcoming matches.
During ESPN's coverage of Euro 2008, Smyth shared commentary duties with Andy Gray and Robbie Mustoe, with Smyth calling the early game and Gray calling the late game. He was the lead color commentator for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on ESPN Radio, pairing up with JP Dellacamera, and he has become an outspoken proponent of instant replay.{{cite web| url= http://c.espnradio.com/audio/364740/bestofmm_2010-06-28-102414.32.mp3| title= Best of Mike and Mike, June 28, 2010| work= Mike and Mike in the Morning| publisher= ESPN| date= 2010-06-28}}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}
=Radio host=
Smyth cohosts a show with Rodney Marsh called Grumpy Pundits on SiriusXM FC, Channel 157.{{Cite web|url=https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/siriusxm-fc|title=SiriusXM FC|website=SiriusXM|date=14 November 2023 }}
He is also a Soccer Management and Scouting instructor and an annual NWSL Draft Soccer Career Conference speaker for the online sports-career training school Sports Management Worldwide.{{Cite web|title=Tommy Smyth {{!}} SMWW Mentor|url=https://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com/users/tommy-smyth|access-date=2020-12-08|website=sportsmanagementworldwide.com|language=en}}
St Patrick's Day Parade
Smyth was the 2008 Grand Marshal of the 247th St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} He has been the co-host for WNBC coverage of the New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade since 1998.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}
Style
Smyth is known for signing off when commentating as "Tommy Smyth... with a Y,"{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} and for his description of a ball flying into the net when a goal is scored as "a bulge in the old onion bag".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/apr/15/tommy-smyth-us-soccer-espn|title=Is this the end for Tommy Smyth, possibly the most hated football commentator in history?|work=The Guardian|date=15 April 2009|accessdate=19 June 2014}} He also is known for saying "a peach of a goal."{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100527185743/http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2010/03/smyth_tommy/ Tommy Smyth on ESPN]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070914024533/http://epltalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=206464 BME Talk Podcast interview]
{{MLS on ESPN}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, Tommy}}
Category:American horse racing announcers
Category:Irish association football commentators
Category:Gaelic games commentators
Category:Cosmopolitan Soccer League players
Category:Sportspeople from County Louth
Category:Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
Category:Major League Soccer broadcasters
Category:Men's association football players not categorized by position