While there are still several months until the start of the NFL regular season, anticipation is building towards the action on the field. The Kansas City Chiefs will take the gridiron as back-to-back Super Bowl champions and aim to continue their dynasty, becoming a consistent presence at the top of the AFC. Bill Belichick departed his role as general manager and head coach of the New England Patriots this past season and knows what it is like to be part of a dynasty, having won six Super Bowl championships in 17 years. For the upcoming season, he will be part of the Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli alternate broadcast presentation produced through a partnership between ESPN and Omaha Productions.

Belichick will be part of every ManningCast next season, as divulged by Omaha Productions founder and two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Peyton Manning during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. Manning stated that Belichick will appear early in the game, likely during the first quarter, to provide his insights and analysis pertaining to the action. Additionally, Belichick will make weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show during the NFL season and also participated in its Draft Spectacular broadcast from the NFL Draft in Detroit.

“I said, ‘Bill, we want you to come on. Look, we’d love to go behind the ropes on the defensive side as to kind of what the Eagles are going to have to do to stop Patrick Mahomes, right? And if you ever run out of things to say, just make fun of Eli, right? That’s always sort of a time-filler,’ and Bill doesn’t like Eli,” Manning explained. “We all know that – two Super Bowls – so it’s just a match made in heaven.”

As a former NFL quarterback, Manning remembers Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy meeting with him early in the week to break down the opposing defense and guiding him on how to plan for a contest. Looking back on it, he believes that the instruction from a defensive-minded coach ultimately made him a better quarterback. Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady told Manning that Belichick did the same with him at the beginning of the week and how to overcome the challenges presented by the opposing defense.

“I think the audience is going to be fascinated at how smart he is,” Manning said. “Look, you guys saw how witty he is. I watched the Draft show you guys did; it was awesome. He’s quick-witted, he’s funny and like I said, he’s brilliant when it comes to defense and offense.”

ESPN, which has carried WNBA games since its inception in 1997, will begin season No. 28 with a doubleheader that features Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in game one at the Connecticut Sun followed by two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces hosting the Phoenix Mercury. The games will be shown on ESPN2, ESPN+ and Disney+.

Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe will call game one with Tiffany Greene, Debbie Antonelli and Angel Gray handling game two.

In a release, ESPN said it “will utilize a WNBA Finals-level production setup for Indiana’s first game to document Clark’s debut. Comprehensive coverage will feature multiple camera angles, including Below and Above the Rim Cam viewing options, roving RF handheld cameras, and player mics.”

WNBA Countdown, ESPN’s pregame show, will feature two different desks for its ESPN and ABC broadcasts throughout the regular season. LaChina Robinson will host for ESPN’s broadcasts. She will be joined by analysts Monica McNutt and Carolyn Peck, a former WNBA head coach and GM who has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. ABC’s broadcast team will feature a new lineup with SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan leading the way, along with Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter.  

The first regular season edition of the show will originate live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut with Robinson, McNutt and Peck. A second show will include coverage of the Aces championship ring ceremony and banner unveiling.

Duncan, Ogwumike, and Carter will make their WNBA Countdown on ABC debut Saturday, May 18, prior to the Indiana Fever at New York Liberty game.

The New York Liberty organization has made several additions to its broadcast team for the upcoming 2024 season, including 24 locally televised games broadcast across FOX5 and My9 available for over 7.5 million households in the New York tri-state area. The team has announced that Michael Grady will serve as a play-by-play announcer for the team in the upcoming season, marking his return to the WNBA and Brooklyn, N.Y.

Before being named the television play-by-play voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Grady was the sideline reporter for Brooklyn Nets games on YES Network for six years. Grady started his broadcast career in Indiana with 1070 WIBC Radio and landed an executive producer role at 107.5 ESPN Radio. Additionally, he was a sports anchor on WRTV6 and the public address announcer for the Indiana Pacers. YES Network host Chris Shearn will also serve as a play-by-play announcer for the season, continuing his role with the team since the 2019 season.

Zora Stephenson will be back on New York Liberty broadcasts for the 2024 season as a play-by-play announcer as well, which continues her work in the space after previously serving as a sideline and digital reporter for the Milwaukee Bucks. Stephenson is also a member of NBC Sports and is a play-by-play announcer for Big Ten Women’s Basketball on Peacock and sideline reporter for Notre Dame Football and Big Ten Football on the network. Stephenson became the first American-born Black woman to call an NBA game in 2021 when she earned the opportunity with the Milwaukee Bucks. This is the fourth consecutive season that Stephenson will be on the air for Liberty games.

ESPN analyst and former Stanford Cardinal guard Ros Gold-Onwude is returning to New York Liberty broadcasts to work as an analyst. Gold-Onwude worked in a similar role with the team between 2012 and 2017 and has been a part of basketball coverage on ESPN across multiple platforms. In addition to Gold-Onwude, former YES Network analyst Julianne Viani-Braen will return to the broadcasts in the same role.

FOX 5 New York lead sports anchor and reporter Tina Cervasio has been named the courtside reporter for New York Liberty broadcasts this season. Throughout the year, she will deliver the latest news and updates during the game while also continuing to host the weekly Sports Xtra show on Sunday nights.

The New York Liberty qualified for the WNBA Finals for the second consecutive season in 2023, led by star guard Sabrina Ionescu and forward Breanna Stewart. The Liberty will look to continue their success through the 36-game regular season that starts on Tuesday when the team plays the Washington Mystics at 7 p.m. EST on My9. After the opening game, the team visits Gainbridge Fieldhouse to play Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever before returning to Barclays Center for a three-game homestand.