As a kid, I could watch NFL Films on ESPN all day. I still could as an adult. The way the edited the film and interspersed the footage with the musical scores and the voice of God, John Facenda, was awesome. My favorite was when they did a marathon of highlights of all the previous Superbowls leading up to that years. Watching everything from the Packers just executing the sweep with percision. The hard hitting of the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. The drama of Roger Staubach combacks. It also captured the disappointments as well of the Viking superbowl losses. Even though you may know the outcome of the games, you still get sucked into the theatre of it.
Even people that didn't like football could probably still appreciate the way Sabol could display the ins and outs of a particular game, player, or coach. His use of the musical score could punctuate any situation of glory, joy, or sorrow. "The Bonnie Blue Flag" and "What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor" were staples of his. Then add the inside the game shots and of course Facenda made it just quality programming no matter the genre.
I think my interest in NFL football became something like love watching NFL Films. The visuals were unforgettable and I can hear the sound track in my head. The narration maximized the emotional impact of well chosen words. Could to vocal inflection have been any more perfect? Maybe ... if you could find something you didn't like about the appearance of a 21year-old Brigette Bardot.
Very sad. A former co-worker of mine (Packers fan) saw him at the 2011 Super Bowl, which would've been a month before they found the tumor. Said he was friendly, autographed some memorabilia, and was patient enough to chat for a few minutes with an average fan. RIP, Steve.
