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Greg Olsen Learned Broadcasting Grind From the XFL

“It wasn’t until that 5-week XFL stint that I saw the monotony of the week after week.”

Ricky Keeler

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Greg Olsen

Before 2020, current lead FOX NFL analyst Greg Olsen didn’t know what the grind of a broadcaster necessarily was. It was when he and Kevin Burkhardt were calling XFL games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season that he learned about a different aspect of the industry.

Olsen was a guest on The Ryen Russillo Podcast this week and he mentioned how the XFL taught him about the week-to-week grind and some of the monotony that can come with that role compared to the one game a year he would do on his bye week in 2017 and 2019.

“It wasn’t until I did the XFL 2.0. Kevin and I were partners back in 2020. We called the first 5 games of that season. Until that point, I never was in week after week after week. You come home on a Sunday, you regroup on a Monday, and you dive back into next week’s prep and you get ready to go back on the road.

“It wasn’t until that 5-week XFL stint that I saw the monotony of the week after week. You come off the high of calling a great game. It’s just like as a player. Tomorrow that game is over, you’ve got to get ready to do the next one. That was really the first time this isn’t something you just prep for one time, you check the box, and move on.”

Olsen mentioned that while calling the games and doing the preparation is fun for him, he knows that you have to treat the analyst role as a full-time position because if someone isn’t prepared before being on air, people will notice.

“Calling the games, preparing for the games, that was a blast. I always loved that part of it. You have to really come to grips with if you are going to do it and you are going to do it right, this is a full-time gig. If you are not prepared and if you are not into the game, especially in today’s world, people can tell and they know and they are not shy of telling you how they feel.”

Of course, even if someone is fully prepared with as many notes as possible, a sporting event can take many twists and turns. Olsen talked with Russillo about how the broadcast crew goes through all possible contingencies to be prepared for anything that can happen.

“One of the coolest challenges, but also one of the more difficult ones of calling the live game is we prepare all week. You know the depth charts, game stories, injuries, game styles. Just as a player, you can do all the prep you want. When that ball kicks off, you are following a live game that you really don’t know which direction it’s going to go.

“That’s why we work out all these different contingencies, all these storylines. If the game takes one of those paths, you’ve put some forethought. You have no control over the game. For 3.5 hours, you are reacting to a live football game and you have to prepare for wherever it goes.”

Burkhardt and Olsen did a chance to call their first Super Bowl back in February and the former tight end knows it is going to take a while for people to get accustomed to the duo calling the big game because they might have just heard them for the first time this year.

“It sounded new and sounded different because it is. People have obviously heard Kevin for longer than me. Unless you watched a bunch of Dallas Cowboys 1:00 PM games last season, we were getting those doubleheader where we would have pretty good-sized audiences, but we did no playoff games, like 2 primetime games on NFL Network.

“Our crew, as the B crew, wasn’t calling 4:30 Green Bay-Dallas with 40 million people. It just wasn’t our gametime. I think people this year, a lot of them just heard us for the first time. It’s voices that you weren’t accustomed to hearing. You were accustomed at 4:30, turning it on and hearing Joe and Troy. It just becomes ingrained in your mind.

“I remember as a kid growing up and you hear Madden and Summerall. You just hear the voices you are accustomed to hearing and over time, you just say those are the games when I hear the voices, I absolutely relate it to this must be a big moment.”

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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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Erin Andrews

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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