The Loop
Ohio State fan holds up "Nice" sign for 69th point, ESPN announcer calls it perfectly
Much like the "crying Jordan" meme, the "69... nice" joke is one that always plays on social media. That's the best thing you can say about a good Twitter joke, that it works every time, because there are a lot of recycled jokes people overuse that need to be taken out back and shot. But "69... nice" always "slaps," as the kids say.
The gag has reached a point where play-by-play guys have no problem alluding to it on sports broadcasts. This past October, SEC Network's Tom Hart expertly used the joke after a 69-yard touchdown run by Ole Miss running back Jerrion Ealy. For those who missed:
What made this so perfect was that while Hart may have planned it for a long time, he still needed a 69-yard touchdown to happen at some point. When and if it does, you have to time it right and make sure the delivery is on point and not forced. Hart's call checked all of these boxes, making him an instant legend.
But he officially has some competition in Jason Benetti, a name some may recognize as the man who called a White Sox game alongside Bill Walton. Benetti is a rising star in the industry, and it's calls like the one you're about to see that only further endear him to the sports-watching public. On Thursday night, Benetti had the Illinois-Ohio State game, and with 32 seconds left, the Buckeyes were at the free-throw line with a 68-60 lead. Ohio State junior Duane Washington Jr. hit his second free throw to make it 69-60, and an ESPN camera locked in on a young lady who was holding up a sign that read "nice." Benetti seized the moment:
Exquisitely done, Jason. A nice (get it, nice?) job of keeping us guessing as well. "A very specific sign for a very specific moment in a very specific .." Thought he was going to really take it there for a second.