A quick glance at an XFL telecast shows how different the game presentation is on television than your typical NFL or college football game. Sideline reporters are on the bench asking coaches about plays they just called or getting a player who just scored a touchdown on camera.
ESPN’s Lee Fitting says he’d like to see reporters talk more to players and coaches after things don’t go according to plan.espn images
ESPN’s vice president of production, Lee Fitting, had a surprising answer when I asked him how he expected those interviews to evolve. He wants to spend more time interviewing players who just messed up.
On ABC’s Saturday game on Feb. 8, sideline reporter Dianna Russini interviewed DC Defenders kicker Tyler Rausa soon after he missed a 35-yard field goal in the first half. He later made a 55-yarder. The next day, sideline reporter Pat McAfee interviewed St. Louis BattleHawks special teamer Steve Beauharnais after he misplayed a punt.
Learning that the goat’s audio is equally as intriguing as the hero’s is something that evolved in a day, Fitting said. “We’re not going to be perfect. At times, it’s going to be a little rough and a little raw. I think that’s OK. In the social media world now, access to professional athletes on their own Instagram or Twitter feeds is raw. There’s an appreciation for that. Some rawness in our telecast is OK. That’s not something that we have always embraced. With this, we are. Rawness is cool. Rawness is real. If everybody is not perfect, that’s OK.”
