David O'Brien (born August 3, 1963) is an American sportscaster who is a lead play-by-play announcer on the New England Sports Network (NESN) for telecasts of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), and for college football and college basketball games aired on the ESPN Inc.-owned ACC Network. He has previously broadcast for MLB's Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, and New York Mets, and has announced other sports including basketball, football, and soccer. Early years Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, O'Brien grew up in Marshfield, Massachusetts, and later New Hampshire before receiving a degree in broadcasting from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in 1986. Broadcasting career From 1987 to 1992, O'Brien worked as a sportscaster in Atlanta, Georgia, calling play-by-play for MLB's Atlanta Braves in 1990–91 as well as college football and basketball games for Georgia and Miami. He earned the Georgia Associated Press' "Best Sports Play-by-Play" accolade in 1988 and 1991. O'Brien broadcast for the Florida Marlins from the team's 1993 inaugural year through 2001, including their first World Series win in 1997. He has also occasionally called National Football League games for the Atlanta Falcons. O'Brien recorded play-by-play "commentary" for the High Heat Major League Baseball video game series for its 2002, 2003, and 2004 installments, along with color commentator Chuck Valenches. O'Brien provided commentary for MLB's international coverage of the World Series from 2004 until 2009. O'Brien was the television voice of the New York Mets on WPIX-TV from 2003 through 2005. ESPN O'Brien worked for ESPN from 2002 through 2017, handling play-by-play of MLB, NBA, college basketball, and soccer (including Major League Soccer's MLS Primetime Thursday and United States men's national soccer team telecasts). Prior to the 2005 season, O'Brien was denied permission by ESPN to join the Chicago Cubs' broadcast team. In 2019, O'Brien returned to call college football games for the inaugural season of the ESPN Inc.-owned ACC Network, partnering with fellow New England native Tim Hasselbeck. FIFA World Cup O'Brien joined Marcelo Balboa on the primary broadcast team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage on ESPN and ABC Sports, despite having no experience calling soccer matches prior to that year. Because The Walt Disney Company, owner of both television outlets, retained control over on-air talent, the appointment of O'Brien as the main play-by-play voice was made over the objections of Soccer United Marketing, who wanted JP