Menu
Media

No Change To ESPN "MNF" Team With Possible Saturday NFL Games

Riddick, Griese and Levy will call the second game of the Sept. 14 doubleheaderGETTY IMAGES

With the possibility of Saturday NFL games if the college football season is canceled, ESPN's current plan is to "stick with its newly created but yet-to-be-announced 'Monday Night Football' team of Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick," according to Andrew Marchand of the N.Y. POST. But that "doesn’t mean that its No. 1 college football broadcast team of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit won't do multiple NFL games." If college football does not play, ESPN/ABC "would try to land" Saturday NFL games, and Fowler and Herbstreit "would be in line to call those telecasts." The duo is "expected to be on the Giants-Steelers 'Monday Night' opener on Sept. 14," while Levy, Riddick and Griese "handle the second game of that night’s doubleheader between the Titans and Broncos." In the event there is just a shortened college football season, the NFL "would likely forgo Saturdays, though there is no final decision yet" (N.Y. POST, 8/11).

MORE QUESTIONS: SI.com's Jimmy Traina asks, "Is there enough time for the NFL to adjust its 2020 schedule on the fly?" Would the league "try to own Saturdays by playing games" at 1:00pm, 4:00pm and 8:00pm ET? Would they opt for just games at 4:00pm and 8:00pm, or would the NFL "just add a Saturday prime-time package" at 8:00pm? Traina: "Then you have the issue of which network would air the extra games." The league's broadcast partners -- CBS, NBC, Fox and ESPN -- "would have open spots for NFL games since they all air college football games that won't happen." The "money tells you the NFL and its broadcast partners will definitely want to make Saturday an NFL day," but the "biggest question will be coming to an agreement on logistics and timing." That and "actually playing a season from start to finish" (SI.com, 8/10).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2020/08/11/Media/ESPN-NFL.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2020/08/11/Media/ESPN-NFL.aspx

CLOSE