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Adam Lefkoe: ‘It’s My Job To Start Arguments On TNT’

“As long as the talent that I’m with is enjoying the experience, that’s what I think a host role is.”

Ricky Keeler

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In 2019, Adam Lefkoe became the host of TNT’s Tuesday night NBA studio show with Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker, and Shaquille O’Neal. While Lefkoe is still with Bleacher Report, a place he was at since 2013, he has cut down on the amount of shows he does for B/R to put a lot of focus into hosting the Tuesday show. 

Lefkoe was a guest on The Press Box podcast with Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker and he said that he always thought Inside The NBA was the “pinnacle of sports television,” but he thought his first true moment with Turner Sports was when he hosted the pregame show for The Match: Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson in 2018.

Before he started hosting the Tuesday night show, Lefkoe told Curtis and Shoemaker that he heard from Dan Patrick, who gave him some advice that has stuck with him.

“He said ‘Lefkoe, be John Stockton. We don’t need 20 out of you, but if you can get us 15 assists, that’s really what it is all about.’ There’s nothing sweeter than throwing an alley-oop when you are hosting a show like that.

“I know Ernie Johnson has told me that he is, on purpose, the worst traffic controller. He is trying to create accidents. I think that is something that I learned from him. When I am in the back, in the green room, which I think is the greatest place to watch basketball in the world, when I hear an argument, it is my duty to start that argument again when I get on set and to not let them know I’m doing it.”  

When he hosts the show, Lefkoe knows the crew he works with and knows when to go to them for specific reasons throughout the broadcast and how to make them succeed: 

“I think Wade tells great stories. I might be texting with him and hanging out with him that week and go over for dinner and I know he’s got a really great personal story about Russell Westbrook or Donovan Mitchell, I’m getting him to that story eventually.”

“With Candace, if I see her in the back and she kind of puts her hands up or sighs, I note what it is. I’m not going to tell her, but I’m getting her there when the show starts. With Shaq, it’s ‘Shaq wants to go viral’. How can I get Shaq to go viral this week because that’s what he needs.” 

Lefkoe knows the importance of being a good researcher in addition to hosting. He told Curtis and Shoemaker that when he talked with Jayson Stark (who is a family friend) years ago, he remembered Stark had a journal for every MLB team that when he heard a stat about that team that was interesting, he put in that journal. That’s when Lefkoe knew what he needed to do to succeed in this business.

“When I made the transition from a lot of NFL to mainly all-NBA, I read an article and a column from every team every day over a four-month period. The stuff I knew about the Portland Trail Blazers’ salary cap constrictions in that one year was nuts…If you don’t enjoy studying and reading and you think you can just go on TV and go ‘Pistons…remember Grant Hill’. If you think you are going to pull that off, you are going to get eviscerated.” 

So, when you watch Lefkoe host NBA coverage on TNT, he knows how to make his team succeed and he is going to put in the work to make sure your team is well-represented. However, he cares more about the feedback from the talent he works with than anything else.

 “As long as the talent that I’m with is enjoying the experience, that’s what I think a host role is. You can’t control the answers and stories, but did it feel different than all the other interviewers that they had. I would find my feedback in the talent that I work with.” 

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Report: NFL to Put Christmas Day Doubleheader Up For Bids

Bidding is expected to start at $50 million among the current NFL media partners but some think the games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

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The NFL will reportedly put its Christmas Day games up for auction, allowing its current media partners to bid for the games. Now, it’s up to CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video to pay up for rights to one of these two marquee games.

According to Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy, preference will be given to linear networks, so Prime Video and Peacock may sit this one out. Bidding is expected to start at $50 million but McCarthy and his sources expect that number to rise. John Kosner, the former ESPN executive, thinks the new Christmas Day games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

The NFL announced a Wednesday Christmas Day doubleheader during its annual league meetings. The league originally said it wouldn’t force games on Christmas Day if the holiday fell on an odd day of the week, though as the NFL continues to put games on days outside of Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, we’re running out of days that don’t feature NFL football.

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Colorado Rockies & DirecTV Reach Agreement to Carry Games on TV

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination for their favorite local teams. We will continue to work with MLB…so fans can get their games.”

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Colorado Rockies

Breathe easy, Rockies fans — you will be able to watch your club on linear TV this year. At the buzzer, DirecTV and the Colorado Rockies agreed on terms to distribute the team’s games throughout its local service.

Starting today, DirecTV Choice subscribers across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Southern Idaho, Western Nebraska, and Northern New Mexico can now watch the Rockies on a special channel simply titled, “ROCKIES.” The games will be available on DirecTV and DirecTV STREAM via channel 683.

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination to get all their favorite local teams,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer of DIRECTV. “We will continue to work with MLB, the NBA, NHL, and other top leagues and their local franchises so the most avid fans can get the games they want while other customers have more choice over the content they want to pay to have in their homes.”

Reports just days ago out of Colorado said there were “no guarantees” the Rockies would not find a TV home in time for Opening Day following the sunsetting of AT&T SportsNet. The only other way to watch the team is to use its direct-to-consumer Rockies.tv streaming service, which fans say is too pricey for a team that lost 103 games last season. Luckily, the team was able to secure a TV home for 2024, though the future is still uncertain.

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Erin Andrews Reveals Infertility Journey in Emotional ‘Today Show’ Interview

FOX reporter Erin Andrews sat down with ‘The Today Show’s’ Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

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FOX reporter Erin Andrews shared her story of infertility and surrogacy with NBC’s Today Show. Last summer, Andrews and her husband welcomed a baby boy via surrogate after trying for a decade to get pregnant via IVF, during which she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016. Today, she sat down with Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

Andrews says Welker’s announcement on the Today Show made her think a baby could be possible. “I remember Kristin Welker’s announcement on your show,” Andrews said last year, “and I actually watched that the morning Mac was born, because that just hit me.”

When they finally sat down, Welker asked Andrews why her journey resonated with the sports reporter so much:

“Because I see myself in you. Kristen, the video of you moderating debates after you’re waiting on bad news or maybe you just received it, that’s me. I can tell you every stand-up I’ve done at a football game where I’ve gotten the news that it didn’t work. I’d be talking about Tom Brady going for this record and my record is that I still was failing…I would have chest pains every time I was waiting for the call if it worked, and I knew it wouldn’t work.

Erin Andrews on ‘Today’

Andrews knew surrogacy was the only path to having a child. Although her family’s first attempt failed, her second attempt was a success, and she got to hear her child’s heartbeat for the very first time. The pair discuss the complex emotions that come with surrogacy, saying that bonds with their child could be affected because they didn’t carry their child. However, Welker assured Andrews that those feelings go away once you can talk to your child.

Once her son was born in June, who Andrews called, “a miracle,” she then talks about her child glowingly, talking about how he is just like mom — vocal. “He’s all me,” she says.

Andrews supports Baby Quest, a non-profit that grants money to families in need of IVF or surrogacy to have a baby but don’t have the funds to pursue these expensive treatments. Both Andrews and Welker acknowledged how difficult and unattainable their journies are for some families — and Andrews even used the NFL’s “My Cleats, My Cause” initiative to raise awareness for her cause.

“People don’t need to feel embarrassed that they have a surrogate or are looking for other help,” Andrews said.

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