In the wild, goldfish-memory world of Australian sports television, it’s entirely possible to have a broadcasting career spanning two decades, three continents, and a stint living with a Tour de France winner, only to have the local footy bubble treat you like the newbie.
Welcome to Jason Bennett’s life.
He’s widely regarded as one of the sharpest, most technically proficient callers in the business.
But now, after a corporate shakeup saw him surprisingly dumped from the Seven Network, Bennett is returning to the commentary box to spearhead the ABC’s new VFL broadcast.
Mediaweek caught up with him just before his first weekend call, this Saturday, 21 March.
The lounge room origins of a pure broadcaster
In a sports media ecosystem dominated by ex-players stepping straight from the locker room to the microphone, Bennett had to hustle differently. His obsession with calling the game started when he was just three years old in his family lounge room.
Instead of a silver spoon and a 200-game AFL career, Bennett relied on a footy record, a couch, and a wild imagination.
“I would balance a footy record on the arm of the couch, kick a balloon or a Nerf ball around, and just spin around to point at a random name in the record,” Bennett laughed, explaining how he decided which player supposedly had the ball.
He even invented a complex board game solely so he could sit in his bedroom for hours on end, calling make-believe matches.
The collateral damage of sports rights
That lifelong obsession makes his resilience in a cutthroat commercial TV market completely unsurprising.
Bennett approaches his recent exit from Seven with the wry pragmatism of an executive who knows exactly how broadcast rights work.
He points out that corporate mergers inevitably result in networks pushing their own internal talent rosters to the front of the queue.
“I went from having a job to not having any opportunities there anymore because they’re promoting their own people, which is totally understandable,” Bennett said. “I was just collateral damage of a corporate deal and that’s the way it goes”.
Jason spent time with a ‘broke’ Daniel Ricciardo during filming of Aussies Abroad for ESPN. Image: Facebook
Escaping the bubble and filming a broke Daniel Ricciardo
Fans often label Bennett a ‘fresh face’ because he completely vanished from the local AFL scene for nearly a decade to work the US market. “There is just so much people don’t know about my career,” he admitted.
Before that disappearing act, he had cut his teeth calling a handful of games for Triple M. Then, Fox Footy threw him into the deep end at just 28, making him the very first face to ever appear on the network’s inaugural broadcast.
During his years away, he set up shop at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut. His go-getter spirit saw him launch the documentary series Aussies Abroad, a project that granted him legendary access to sports royalty. He was telling the stories of emerging legends in real time, before the PR spin doctors even got a sniff.
Aussies Abroad allowed him to live with cyclist Cadel Evans in Switzerland just weeks before his historic Tour de France victory.
And it also captured a young, entirely unknown Daniel Ricciardo surviving on a razor-thin budget before he was an F1 regular.
“He was living on a tight budget,” Bennett recalled of the future Formula One superstar. “He was waiting for mum and dad to send money over because they didn’t pay him to be a reserve driver”.
Trading MCG pampering for VFL rain
Bennett eventually returned to Australia for his family, kicking off a dominant run calling the AFLW and VFL. He has a soft spot for the raw, unpolished reality of state league footy, actively contrasting it with the pampered environment of elite stadiums.
“I might be at Port Melbourne doing VFL and I’m hanging out the side of the commentary box actually getting rained on, pouring down my face because I’ve got to see out the side of the box,” he said.
In contrast, he joked that if you sneeze in the MCG broadcast booth, five people instantly rush over with a tissue.
His new ABC role pairs him with a broadcast crew he deeply respects, including Daniel Harford, caller Matt Clinch, and rising star Gemma Bastiani.
For network executives looking for the next breakout media star, Bennett says Bastiani is the one to watch.
“Gemma Bastiani is one of the sharpest analytical minds in footy, and I’ve loved her work for such a long time,” he said.
Feature image- Jason Bennett.