America Still Not Getting Behind “Mama, There Goes That Man!”
Nearly four years after Mark Jackson started working on ABC’s NBA telecasts, America has still failed to embrace his catchphrase, “Mama, there goes that man.” Though he uses it at least once a quarter, the phrase has failed to resonate with the public, lagging far behind “Boom goes the dynamite,” “From downtown!” and even Bob Fitzgerald’s, “The calls are really going against the Warriors tonight.”
Mike Breen has encouraged Jackson to continue with “Mama,” adding, “It’s not like he’s going to provide any actual information about the game in progress, so what’s the difference?” Jeff Van Gundy added, “I disagree. What about Papa? Did he see the man go? Does he know I had to shave my head every single day in the 90’s due to my disastrous hair plug surgery? Well I did.”
At a press conference held in front of a warehouse full of t-shirts, coffee mugs, and slap bracelets emblazoned with “Mama There Goes That Man,” Mark Jackson insisted that America just needed to get used to the catchphrase. “Taking a phrase that everyone hates and ramming it down an audience’s throat, that’s a grown man move right there.” Jackson’s mama could not be reached for comment.
