Sports TV News

Miami Dolphins to Be Featured on In-Season ‘Hard Knocks’

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing for people to see our day-in, day-out hard work.”

Published

1 month ago

October 24, 2023

BSM Staff

Courtesy: Warner Bros. Discovery, NFL Films

The NFL has announced that the Miami Dolphins will be featured on the in-season edition of the HBO and NFL Films original series, Hard Knocks. The program will air on Max later this fall with more details to come soon, marking the first time the franchise has been featured on the program since the training camp edition in 2012.

The in-season edition of the series will give viewers an inside look at a Dolphins team that has caught the attention of the NFL world thanks to stellar play by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and running back Raheem Mostert. Head coach Mike McDaniel, in his second season leading the team, did not view the move to participate in Hard Knocks as a team decision and refrains from worrying about things out of their control.

“I see some positives with this particular team, just knowing that there’s a lot of things that, in terms of when we do have success on the field, people are curious as to how that happens,” McDaniel said. “I think they’ll see exactly where that comes from – I don’t think it’s a bad thing for people to see our day-in, day-out hard work.”

Over the summer, the New York Jets were featured on the training camp edition of the show after reports of the team being forced to participate in the series. Even though access was limited for certain parts of the series, including roster cuts, the five episodes drew an average of 4.4 million viewers. Parts of the series were focused on Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the impact he was having on the team throughout the preseason.

No specific release date for the series has been announced, although last year’s in-season edition of the show ran on Wednesdays starting in early November, excluding the team’s bye week. At the moment, the details made available list the series as airing on Max, the streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery.

“I know there’s some guys on this team that garner interest, and I think that a platform for them to showcase who they are, and really the fan base to get to know the players and coaches better – I can understand the value to the National Football League; to HBO; to NFL Films; and I can understand the value for the Miami Dolphins,” McDaniel said. “It’s something that I think this particular team is equipped to handle, just because of the way they go about their day-to-day jobs.”

BSM Staff

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John Dickinson Exits 95.7 The Game

“The longtime Bay Area sports radio reporter and host announced his departure on social media.”

Published

11 hours ago

November 28, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

23538F4F-2BF5-40B4-9FA4-07801B5214EE | Barrett Media

A voice familiar to Bay Area sports fans will no longer be heard on 95.7 The Game. Reporter John Dickinson announced on Monday that it was his last day at the station.

Dickinson posted a note on X on Monday expressing his gratitude for getting to be at 95.7 The Game for well over a decade covering sports.

“Who would have thought I’d have been fortunate enough to cover two World Series or three Super Bowls or SIX NBA Finals?” Dickinson wrote. “They even let me pretend to be a hockey reporter during the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Through the countless hours of radio shows and update shifts, and the long days and nights of traveling to cover Warriors and 49ers games all across the country, it’s been a pleasure to interact with some of the most passionate and knowledgeable (and sometime neurotic) fans in sports.”

Today was my last day at 95.7 The Game after 12 years 7 months & 7 days. (But who's counting) pic.twitter.com/VIDLRLkACI
— John Dickinson (@JDJohnDickinson) November 28, 2023

He continued that he’s thankful for the chance to develop such great relationships with other reporters on the various Bay Area pro sports beats. Dickinson announced that he’s excited for what’s next.

According to sources, that next opportunity will be with KNBR.

“Grateful for the friendships that have blossomed with co-workers and other reporters along all the great beats in the Bay Area,” he wrote. “From my early days almost exclusively on the Raiders/Warriors/Giants to now primarily the 49ers/Warriors. Beyond excited for what’s next, but that’s tomorrow’s news.”

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 TV News

Rob Stone: Big Noon Kickoff ‘A Toddler But Not in Our Crib Anymore’

The college football pregame show is about to finish its 5th season competing with ESPN’s College GameDay.

Published

11 hours ago

November 28, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

(Photo: FOX Sports)

FOX is about to put a bow on its fifth season of Big Noon Kickoff, and even though ESPN’s College GameDay continues to lead in viewership, FOX isn’t taking its foot off the pedal.

Big Noon Kickoff averaged 1.02 million viewers through the first 10 weeks of the 2023 season according to reporting from Sports Business Journal. That figure was up from the 997,000 viewer average last year, the first year FOX sent its college football pregame show on the road for the entire regular season.

The show has seen its biggest growth in the final hour leading into FOX’s Big Noon Saturday game of the week broadcast. The 11 a.m. hour is averaging over 1.4 million viewers during that window through nine weeks.

FOX has seemed to master creating its own party atmosphere for the on-campus, on-location live show hosted by Rob Stone. Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, Mark Ingram, and Urban Meyer fill out the desk, with Bruce Feldman and Chris “The Bear” Fallica contributing throughout the course of the morning.

Stone said the show continues to improve and gain momentum. It’s clear the program is on an upward trajectory.

“We’re a toddler, but we’re not in our crib anymore,” Stone said. “We’re demanding a king-sized bed.”

“It’s just a testament to everyone at Fox believing in what we can make this,” Leinart added. “And then also the guys up here and everybody part of this crew — in front of the camera and behind the camera — everybody makes the show go.”

The show obviously wants to eventually overtake GameDay as the most popular college football pregame show in the country, but many elements pull from the formula ESPN has used to make GameDay what it is. Imitation is the most honest form of flattery in Quinn’s eyes, who said that the big difference between what viewers get on FOX is the focus funneling into the noon game of the week.

“Obviously, if you’re gonna start out with the idea to do a college football pregame show, you take a lot of things [GameDay has] done because they’ve been successful,” Quinn said. “What we’re trying to do is taking the tailgate — that party and that atmosphere inside the stadium right before the game — right to kick.”

“The vast majority of our games are that,” the Big Noon Kickoff host added. “So hopefully when you’re watching you get more of the intensity wrapping up to like, here it is, here are the two teams. Boom. Gus and Joel, take it away.”

Jordan Bondurant

Sports TV News

NBC Sports Trialing Paul McGinley as Lead Golf Analyst This Weekend

McGinley will get the opportunity to helm the role held by Paul Azinger before his exit earlier this month.

Published

11 hours ago

November 28, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

When the Hero World Challenge tees off later this week in The Bahamas, NBC Sports will reportedly be auditioning its next PGA Tour lead analyst in Paul McGinley.

The Irish Independent on Monday reported that McGinley, a Ryder Cup champion for Europe who contributes analysis to both Sky Sports and Golf Channel, will get to test out doing play-by-play analysis alongside Dan Hicks.

NBC is going to be hiring a new lead analyst after the departure of Paul Azinger following October’s Ryder Cup. The network’s PGA Tour broadcast schedule for 2024 doesn’t begin in earnest until February.

It’s believed that if McGinley gets the lead analyst nod, he will continue to honor his obligations to Sky and Golf Channel under the Comcast banner.

Jordan Bondurant