There is a lot more to professional sports than just the athletes themselves. While many view sporting events as merely a competitive game played among the fittest people in the world, there are those who view the world of professional sports through different eyes. The kind of eyes that see a world of endless possibility and a promise of a new light when all else has gone dark.

Professional sports can be misunderstood and labeled by those on the outside and those who have never felt the rush of taking to a field, court, or rink. The indefinable feeling you get from these sports can provide you with a lifetime of memories and stories to be told throughout the ages. Sports can hurt and sports can heal all at the same time. There is a story to be told in every game of every season.

These stories are told by the sportscasters – for better or worse. This includes but is not limited to those who provide play-by-play and color commentary. The term “sportscaster” may also include those who present talk radio and television broadcasts. The world of sports is wide and there are certainly enough voices permeating within.

Everybody has their favorite sportscaster as some are an absolute delight to the senses. There are those who can truly tell a sports story with class and conviction. Those who analyze with proper credentials. Those who are masterful interviewers. Those who are opinionated but can also listen to the other side of the argument … This list is about none of that.

The following is a compilation of those that make you wonder “why are they involved with this profession?” The ones that anger you to no end because their outrageous opinions make your blood boil. The ones who are boring and can put you to sleep while you're trying to watch your favorite team. The ones who are just flat out annoying. The following are 15 of the worst offenders.

16 16. Harold Reynolds

If you watched the recent World Series, then chances are the monotone voice of Harold Reynolds is still ringing in your ears. Reynolds was calling the action alongside Joe Buck and Tom Verducci – who by all means did not require Reynolds' not-so-deep insight. Reynolds comes off as a dull third-string commentator whose humor is dry and witless but that certainly doesn't stop him from trying, as he will continually spout his repetitive and humorless commentary throughout the game. This is all while Buck and Verducci are doing their best to call the action.

15 15. Doug Gottlieb

Doug Gottlieb was once the starting point guard at Notre Dame before he was expelled for stealing credit cards and making fraudulent charges on those cards. Gottlieb never made it to the NBA but when you listen to him speak, the tone of his voice and “expert” commentary suggests that he has something to offer young basketball players who are striving for their dream while he secretly watches with resentment. Gottlieb currently works for CBS Sports as an analyst of NCAA basketball. There is nothing particularly special about his insights and, for the most part, Gottlieb is desperate for attention.

14 14. Jim Gray

Jim Gray has been a sportscaster for many years and has worked for many different national stations including ESPN, NBC Sports, and CBS Sports. While he is currently affiliated with Showtime and FOX, his biggest miscue as a broadcaster came at game 2 of the 1999 World Series when Grey had the chance to interview Pete Rose – who had been named a member of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Gray took it upon himself to probe Rose about his alleged baseball betting. The fact that Pete Rose was allowed in an MLB park was such a big deal that nobody wanted to address the elephant in the room but the ever-so pompous Jim Gray would think otherwise. Speaking of pompous, in 2010, Gray hosted The Decision – a self-important television special in which LeBron James announced he would be leaving Cleveland for Miami. Instead of asking difficult questions in this case, he decided to go soft. Pick your spots Jim.

13 13. Dick Vitale

There is no denying the passion that Dick Vitale has for college basketball – it is a pure emotional process that is clearly audible in his voice. However, passion doesn't always equate to knowledge. Vitale frequently manages to avoid providing any actual insight to the ongoing game. While his remarks are colorful, he often comes across as more of a fan and less of a professional broadcaster. Vitale is seventy-five-years-old and may sometimes get a pass for his over enthusiasm and lack of informative commentary because it resembles watching the game with your Grandfather who loves the sport but might have gotten lost in his thought process. After a while, it becomes annoying, baby.

12 12. Doug MacLean

Doug McLean is probably best know for taking a young Florida Panthers team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996 before they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in four straight games. That's about the tops of Doug MacLean's resume as he has done nothing of notable worth since the mid-nineties. McLean currently spouts his so-called “hockey knowledge” on Hockey Central at Noon, where he can be heard providing a plethora of nonsensical insights. MacLean once said of female co-worker Hazel Mae that it was “her job to clean up the studio.” How charming.

11 11. Pam Ward

Pam Ward has long been a subject of ridicule for her play-by-play announcing of NCAA football and with good reason. Ward is essentially a misinformed madame with a microphone. She has since been let go from her position but her time as play-by-play announcer has not been forgotten. Ward was never one with quick-wit and sometimes never one with human compassion. During a game between Marshall and Ohio with an injured member of the Marshall team down on the field, Ward was overheard making some not-so-sympathetic remarks when she thought the broadcast had gone to commercial.

10 10. Mike Milbury

Mike Milbury has seen his share of failures in the NHL as a coach and as an executive where his decision making could always be called into question. Milbury played twelve seasons in the league as a defenseman for the Boston Bruins where he only ever led them in penalty minutes. Nowadays, Milbury works as a “sportscaster,” but feels more like a pundit – and really, who takes pundits seriously? When Milbury provides an opinion, it begins to feel more like a sermon where the preacher hasn't read all of the required literature.

9 9. Jay Mariotti

These days the only place to find Jay Mariotti is on the internet, which is great because now you don't have to worry about seeing this talking-head pop up on your television while you channel surf. Mariotti is probably best known as a panelist on the ESPN show Around the Horn where he often provided his self-righteous commentary and less-than-stellar insight into the world of sports. Mariotti is a special kind of annoying as he embodies the entire package: his voice, his look, and his demeanor will all get under your skin in an instant.

8 8. Colin Cowherd

Could somebody please tell this guy that we can hear him loud and clear and it's time to turn the volume down? Colin Cowherd loves the sound of his own voice so much that he just has to be the loudest guy in the room. Cowherd is a complete buffoon at times, especially when the topic at hand is of a sensitive nature (reference his comments regarding the murder of Sean Taylor). Cowherd is misinformed and misleading to those (if any) who actually take his commentary seriously. Although, one thing is for sure; Colin Cowherd loves him some Colin Cowherd.

7 7. Lou Holtz

Lou Holtz was once a great college football coach who had enough prowess to lead six different teams to a bowl game. Holtz is most notably affiliated with Notre Dame, having lead the Fighting Irish to the 1988 national championship. That's all well and good and if Holtz wasn't a broadcaster at a major television network then nobody would mind his undeniable bias towards Notre Dame. The understanding of sports broadcasting is to be as objective and informative as possible, which is a concept completely lost on Lou whose coherency is questionable and bias in plain sight.

6 6. Cris Collinsworth

This next guy has to be the most bland sportscaster in all of professional sports. Cris Collinsworth can be heard bumbling his way through football games alongside Al Michaels on NBC. Collinsworth spent eight seasons in the NFL as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals but is a prime example of player turned broadcaster going awry. The fact that a guy played the game does not make him an expert or a viable candidate to call the action on the field. Especially when that guy has such a lack of personality and colorless commentary.

5 5. Erin Andrews

Erin Andrews is often regarded as “America's Sexiest Sportscaster.” While this would aggravate many women who are trying to be taken seriously in the male dominated world of professional sports, that doesn't seem like the case with Erin Andrews. The biggest problem with Erin is that she seems completely clueless as to what she is supposed to be doing. Her interviewing skills are sub-par at best and her personality comes across as cold and calculating. Not to mention, it is really hard to look at someone as a legitimate sportscaster while they are also hosting Dancing with the Stars.

4 4. Lee Corso

There is something outstandingly sad about an old man clinging to his youth for dear life. Nobody wants to grow old but Lee Corso is pushing the age of eighty and still pandering to the college kids of America while grasping at the fabrics of their skinny jeans. Corso's signature is to dawn the headgear of the school's mascot whom he is predicting who will win the day's game at the end of ESPN's College GameDay program. Lee Corso more often than not makes himself look and sound ridiculous and may perhaps want to consider the benefits of retirement.

3 3. Jim Rome

Jim Rome is by far the most cocky and arrogant sportscaster around. Rome is a little man with a big mouth that often stirs up controversy. While there is nothing wrong with getting the conversation rolling on certain issues, Rome does so in such a brash manner that you can't help but feel annoyed. Rome is a broadcasting bully who on many occasions has displayed a great lack of professionalism. Jim Rome is quick with an opinion but not with an ear – in Rome's world what he says goes and there is no compromising on that.

2 T1. Skip Bayless

Skip Bayless is the star of First Take on ESPN2 – the most annoying sports talk program on all of television. Bayless himself is a piece of work, an unabashed big-mouth who essentially yells for ratings. Bayless has been known for his continuous criticism of LeBron James who he called “overrated by the media.” The critique of James is not the problem, it's that Bayless likes to say things just for the sake of saying something and that's saying a lot for a guy who at the end of the day, doesn't have that much to say.

1 T1. Stephen A. Smith

The annoyance of First Take continues as part of a top entrant cohabitation. Skip Bayless is bad enough, but when you add in his co-star, Stephen A. Smith, you're on a whole other level. Smith is the quintessential know-it-all who is supposed to have a great deal of expertise but only really has a lot of talking points and no particular purpose. The way Smith speaks is infuriating. There is an obnoxiousness to him that is all his own. This #1 spot is shared by the most annoying sportscasting duo around: Skip Bayless and Smith A. Smith. However, the real winner here (or loser) has to be their show, First Take.