DETROIT — When Jason Benetti boarded a plane bound for Detroit, the emotion he felt triggered something deep within him. There’s something about a plane taking off and the sense of possibility it represents. This trip reminded him of one of the most formative days of his life, he said. He described it as one of the most difficult days of his life.
In 2001, Benetti, then 18, loaded his car and began a 10-hour drive from Homewood, Ill., to Syracuse, N.Y. Prior to this, the Illinois native had rarely ventured outside of the city limits. The few escapes were usually quick trips to Elkhart Lake, Wis., to see Indy car races. The pursuit of a career as a sports broadcaster meant leaving home and embarking on an unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and frightening journey.
“It was the hardest day of my life up to that point,” Benetti said on Thursday. It was also painful. And I had the same feeling the other day, when I realized this was a real possibility. “Like, ‘Wow, I’m getting back in the car and driving to Syracuse University.'”
Rather than heading off to college, Benetti was contemplating his biggest career change to date. He flew into Detroit to interview for the position of Detroit Tigers play-by-play announcer. According to Benetti, Bally Sports Detroit contacted Benetti’s agent and asked if he was interested in the job. The Tigers then requested permission to interview Benetti from Jerry Reinsdorf and the Chicago White Sox. Permission was granted, and the wheels for a spectacular transformation were set in motion.
Benetti was officially introduced as the new Detroit Tigers TV voice on Thursday. And, as signs of a brighter future on the field emerge, the 40-year-old Benetti will play a role in ushering in a new era of Tigers baseball.
“I got on a plane to come here because in the interview process, I felt and knew,” Benetti told me. “It was only a feeling.” I knew I was surrounded by people who want to be extraordinarily great and forward-thinking, and to do so in a smart, analytical way that goes far beyond anything I would have expected from their television announcer.
He could be the Tigers’ most popular signing in years.
There is no way to look at Benetti’s move without wondering why he is leaving Chicago.
Benetti grew up watching the White Sox. Being on their broadcast has been described as a “dream job” by him. Even as his profile grew and his national responsibilities expanded — national college football, national college basketball, and Fox MLB broadcasts — Benetti maintained a strong bond with White Sox fans.
“I should have said this first,” Benetti said via video call on Thursday, “but the White Sox hired me.” In 2016, they hired me, a person who does not walk normally, to be the organization’s front-facing person. And it’s only because of them that I’m here. I’m aware of what people may say about my departure and everything, but the White Sox did not have to grant permission for me to have this opportunity.”
Benetti, who has cerebral palsy, appeared visibly moved as he spoke about leaving the White Sox. He mentioned a number of broadcast and production colleagues, including color analyst Steve Stone, as people he cares deeply about.
The truth is that there was more going on. Benetti’s relationship with the White Sox had grown strained in recent years, according to The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg. Although the team technically approved of his doing national work on college football and basketball, when he signed a two-year contract before last season, it specified how many Sox games he could miss.
“That was the problem — it was all ad hoc in 2021,” Benetti explained last spring. “And then the situation with my missed games was very hazy.” It’s no longer hazy. So we’re all set. That’s all there is to it. For me, I imagined that as the work got better and better and better, the level of fairness and respect would rise along with it. And for some, it does not. It does for some people.”
Though relationships with certain White Sox leadership members may have soured, and there are indications Benetti may not have always felt properly appreciated within the organization, Benetti was still widely popular among fans. He took that aspect of the job seriously — the symbiotic relationship between broadcaster and listener. Thursday, he reflected on the lockdown months of 2020, when, feeling disconnected from the outside world, he issued calls on Twitter. He requested that followers send him direct messages.
The messages weren’t intended for him. Rather, he was looking for notes to send to loved ones. Benetti would then read and record the heartfelt letters, narrating personal relationships in the same way he would describe the most intricate moments of a baseball game.
“I did one every night,” Benetti explained. “There were some I didn’t get to.” But the ones we did were extremely important to me. And I soon discovered that this isn’t just a job for a sports announcer. This is someone who is a part of your world and your life every day.”
Consider the fact that on Thursday’s introductory call with Detroit media, Benetti made references ranging from Paul McCartney to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. When he awoke Thursday morning, he said the first person who came to mind — “no joke,” he said — was Magglio Ordóez, who left the White Sox for the Tigers before the 2005 season.
“I was like, ‘What did he do?'” Benetti reflected.
He also mentioned Freddie Freeman, who had a strong emotional attachment to the Atlanta Braves even after difficult negotiations led him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Today I feel like I am some combination of (Ordóñez) and, emotionally, Freddie Freeman,” Benetti said in a statement.
This was a big, risky move for Benetti and the Tigers.
But then again, leaving Chicago for Syracuse all those years ago was.
“The only way you get to be fulfilled in this world is to take on new challenges as well,” he said. “Not that this is a challenge, but it is something new for me.” But there’s a place in my heart where this was especially difficult.”
When the Tigers announced that broadcaster Matt Shepard would be leaving after the 2023 season, it was clear that the team was looking to boost the legitimacy of its broadcast booth.
Shepard took over in the 2019 season, following a squabble that ended Rod Allen and Mario Impemba’s 16-year run as a popular broadcast duo.
Shepard (whom Benetti praised as a friend and broadcaster) intended well and worked hard, but he struggled to connect with viewers. The broadcasts could be tedious, with emotional interjections that felt forced at times. Tigers broadcasts consistently ranked near the bottom of fan polls.
As a result, when the Tigers started looking for a replacement this offseason, they set their sights high. They desired a well-known name who could command immediate respect. They desired a broadcaster who could connect emotionally with listeners. They also desired a modern baseball mind to help share the story of a young team led by new, progressive baseball leadership.
This brought them to Benetti.
“It was really important to Chris (Ilitch), Scott Harris, myself, and everyone else involved to find the right cultural fit,” said Ryan Gustafson, executive vice president and COO of Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. “Jason and all of us share this unwavering desire to be great, to create something unique, and you can see it in everything we’re doing as an organization right now.” We’re constructing something spectacular. Every day, we get better. The fact that Jason is leaving his previous environment, his hometown, to come here demonstrates this.”
