Sports Online

Charissa Thompson Details Lambeau Field Banishment From Mike McCarthy

“It made for a funny story, but at the time I thought am I going to be in trouble? But, I didn’t get in trouble.”

Published

1 year ago

September 9, 2022

Next Thursday night, Charissa Thompson will be leading the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for Amazon Prime Video’s first NFL regular season game broadcast between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. Being part of launching a new network or broadcast isn’t something that’s uncommon for Thompson over the course of her career.

Thompson was on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Thursday and she mentioned how she feels lucky to be a part of Amazon’s NFL coverage after she was a part of the first Big Ten Network football game and she was at FS1 when that network launched as well.

“I feel so lucky. I got to be part of a launch of the Big 10 Network, my first ever game on the air for the Big 10 Network was my first ever sideline game, Michigan-Appalachian State. I remember walking to the car after the fact with Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis and they said where does that rank of all the games you worked? I said this was my first one.

“With FS1, I got to launch that as well. I feel very lucky to have had that experience and now with this unprecedented platform of Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football package being the first ever streamer to have rights to the NFL, it’s awesome. I feel so, so grateful. I don’t just say that because that’s what you are supposed to say. I genuinely feel that way….I’m just waiting for them to kick me off this set like I got kicked off the field at Lambeau and say your time is up.”

Yes, you read that right. Thompson was kicked out of Lambeau Field once before by Mike McCarthy before the NFC Championship Game when she was a co-host on The Best Damn Sports Show Period. She got into that story as well:

“Mike McCarthy had me kicked off the field because I was running routes with Eli Manning doing cartwheels and nonsense…We were out on the field talking about how cold it was and I was trying to stay warm so Eli was like throwing me passes….It made for a funny story, but at the time I thought am I going to be in trouble? But, I didn’t get in trouble. They didn’t scold me after the fact. They were like, did you get the feature? I got the feature.”

Even though there might be nerves for many people before a big broadcast like Prime Video has upcoming, Thompson says she doesn’t feel nervous with anything she does in the industry because she likes being put in uncomfortable situations.

“I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. I don’t get nervous a lot when it comes to my profession. I think about it like this. Whatever happens, happens. Hopefully, I like to believe that I am prepared and I love live television because I like to react to what happens next. I like being put in uncomfortable, precarious situations and figuring out how I can maneuver out of them or save some of my colleagues as well.

“I think that the adrenaline is similar to playing sports. You get excited right before a tipoff or before you do anything in the athletic space. For me, it’s a matter of preparation and sitting at the desk and knowing that your employers have enough belief in you and don’t screw it up and try not to embarrass yourself or them.”

Ricky Keeler

Ricky Keeler is a reporter for BSM with a primary focus on sports media podcasts and national personalities. He is also an active podcaster with an interest in pursuing a career in sports media. You can find him on Twitter @Rickinator555 or reach him by email at [email protected].

Sports Online

Dave Portnoy Found Out About The CW, Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl Partnership on X

Portnoy reposted the company’s announcement that it had secured a distribution deal with The CW by saying “Love finding out about this in a tweet.”

Published

5 hours ago

November 30, 2023

BSM Staff

Courtesy: Slaven Vlasic, Getty Images

Earlier today, it was announced that Barstool Sports had partnered with The CW to broadcast the 2023 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl. However, it appears no one told the company’s founder, Dave Portnoy.

Portnoy reposted the announcement that it had secured a distribution deal to bring the bowl game to terrestrial television with The CW. He accompanied the post by saying “Love finding out about this in a tweet.”

Love finding out about this in a tweet. https://t.co/6jzKCvl6yS
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) November 30, 2023

The bowl game’s official X account wrote it was “thrilled to be able to bring the most cutting edge postseason experience to college football fans across the nation.”

Barstool Sports play-by-play voice Jake Marsh shared his enthusiasm for the partnership by calling it “huge news”.

HUGE news: the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl is going to be nationally televised this year on The CW!

Can’t wait for the game to kick off one month from today in Tucson. 3 days until we find out who will be playing. @theARIZONABOWL @BarstoolAZBowl https://t.co/1DVA3uSTRK
— Jake Marsh (@PMTsportsbiz) November 30, 2023

BSM Staff

Sports Online

NSMA Names Finalists for 2023 National Awards

Winners will be invited to the 64th NSMA Awards Weekend & National Convention in June or July 2024.

Published

20 hours ago

November 30, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

The National Sports Media Association (NSMA) on Wednesday announced its finalists for 2023 national awards.

The national sportswriter of the year finalists are: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN; Dan Wetzel of Yahoo; Dana O’Neil of The Athletic; Jeff Passan of ESPN; Marc J. Spears of Andscape and ESPN; Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic; Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated; Peter King of NBC Sports; Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post, and Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated.

The national Sportscaster of the Year finalists are: Brian Anderson of CBS/TBS/TNT; Charles Barkley of TNT/TBS; Doris Burke of ABC/ESPN; Jim Nantz of CBS; Joe Buck of ESPN; Joe Davis of FOX; Kevin Harlan of CBS/TNT/TBS/Westwood One; Mike Breen of ABC/ESPN; Mike Tirico of NBC, and Sean McDonough of ABC/ESPN.

The Hall of Fame Sportswriter finalists are: Christine Brennan, Claire Smith, Howard Bryant, Ira Berkow, Jayson Stark, Mike Downey, Ralph Wiley, Ray Didinger, Roger Kahn, and Wendell Smith.

The Hall of Fame sportscaster finalists are: Andrea Kremer, Charlie Neal, Don Criqui, Jaime Jarrin, James Brown, Joe Buck, Mary Carillo, Mike Tirico, Phyllis George, and Tim McCarver.

Winners will be invited to the 64th NSMA Awards Weekend & National Convention next summer.

Jordan Bondurant

Jordan Bondurant is a features reporter for Barrett Sports Media. He’s a multimedia journalist and communicator who works at the Virginia State Corporation Commission in Richmond. Jordan also contributes occasional coverage of the Washington Capitals for the blog NoVa Caps. His prior media experiences include working for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Danville Register & Bee, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, WRIC-TV 8News and Audacy Richmond. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @J__Bondurant.

Sports Online

Kirk Herbstreit: Social Media Still Critical of Al Michaels Because of Last Year’s Comments

“He hears the noise. He has more of an ‘F you’ attitude about it than ‘I am going to show them’.”

Published

1 day ago

November 29, 2023

Ricky Keeler

Courtesy: Tom Hauck, Getty Images

The narrative going around social media is that legendary broadcaster Al Michaels doesn’t have too much excitement when he calls a Thursday Night Football game on Amazon Prime with Kirk Herbstreit. However, in Herbstreit’s mind, that is nowhere near the truth.

Herbstreit was a guest on the Pardon My Take podcast this week and he said that he thinks a lot of people are holding two games from last year against Michaels. One was the Chargers-Jaguars Wild Card playoff game and the other was the Colts-Broncos matchup that was a 12-9 overtime game.

“I think everyone is holding the Jacksonville playoff game last year against him. I didn’t work with him in that game and it got a lot of criticism after that game.”

“Social media is using that as a narrative and they are just using that and the one time in Indy/Denver he talked about how what a shitty game it was we were doing. It is almost like they are using those two examples to say ‘Al Michaels hates Thursday night, Al Michaels has lost it.'”

One comparison he gave for both he and Michaels is that while Thursday night games have strong atmospheres, they don’t compare to when Michaels used to call Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football or when Herbstreit does a big Saturday Night game for college football.

“We’ve had a great schedule this year. We’ve had some great games. If you listen to me calling Florida State/Florida or to me this weekend, I’m standing the whole game, Chris Fowler is standing the whole game. There’s energy that is unparalleled in these college atmospheres. You get caught up in the moment you are performing in.”

“I think Al when he would do Sunday Night or Monday Night Football, those games were massive. You are doing big games and your voice projects based on the setting that you are in. These Thursday night games are good atmospheres, but I don’t think they are at the level of a Sunday night game or when I’m doing a Saturday night game. So, I think your voice always matches with what you are doing.”

Herbstreit has been with Michaels for the last two seasons and there is one thing that he is impressed by about him and he feels that both of them are similar in terms of how much excitement they bring with the situation warrants it.

“I’ve noticed that Al Michaels is pretty much like me. When the game warrants excitement, he brings excitement…I think Al hears it, he disagrees with it. He’s really enjoying our crew and what we are doing. To be at his age and I marvel at what he does. Producers talking in his ear, he’s always recognizing and ID’ing typically the right guy every time. At his age, I’m blown away by it.”

“He hears the noise. He has more of an ‘F you’ attitude about it than ‘I am going to show them’. He thinks it’s a bunch of bullshit, I think it’s a bunch of bullshit. I think it’s a narrative that social media is running with.”

Ricky Keeler