The Broadcaster and The Beatle
The Lead
Audible
3.7 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 8 December 2020
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Forty years ago today, the world was rocked by the news of John Lennon's tragic killing in New York. Through a roundabout series of events, the person to break the news to the country was legendary sports announcer Howard Cosell, who was broadcasting live from the studio of Monday Night Football. The Athletic’s Rustin Dodd joins us to remember that historic day, to explain how Cosell became the one to break such a big story, and to reflect on the unlikely friendship between these two countercultural icons.
Read Rustin Dodd's story about John Lennon and Howard Cosell:
https://theathletic.com/author/rustin-dodd/?source=theleadpodcast
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, prime members, you can listen to the lead, |
| 0:03.0 | Add Free on Amazon Music. |
| 0:05.0 | Download the app today. |
| 0:07.0 | One, two, one. |
| 0:12.0 | Forty years ago today, the world was rocked by a shocking killing. |
| 0:18.0 | Millions of people mourned the tragic death of John Levin today, |
| 0:22.0 | the young and the middle aged, shared a sense of grief |
| 0:25.0 | over the inexplicable slang of Levin, |
| 0:28.0 | murdered by a young man who'd been a fan of Lenin and the Beatles for the last 15 years. |
| 0:33.0 | Today, the Athletics Rustin Dodd joins us to remember that historic day |
| 0:38.0 | and to explain the role that legendary sports broadcaster Howard Cocelle |
| 0:42.0 | and Monday Night Football played in breaking the news. |
| 0:46.0 | You're talking about maybe a fourth of televisions |
| 0:49.0 | in the country you're tuned into a football game on a Monday night. |
| 0:52.0 | Howard Cocelle is announcing that, you know, a member of the Beatles, |
| 0:55.0 | you know, the biggest rock band of all time had just been tragically killed in New York. |
| 1:01.0 | From Wondering in the Athletic, I'm Anders Keltow. |
| 1:04.0 | And I'm Kaby the Davidson. |
| 1:06.0 | It's Tuesday, December 8th, and this is The Lead. |
| 1:15.0 | So, Rustin, first let's talk about Monday Night Football as a cultural force. |
| 1:19.0 | Can you explain how the show fit into the American pop culture landscape? |
| 1:24.0 | In the early 1970s? |
... |
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