You’d be stunned how many individuals play “Fantasy On-Air Staffing” within the sports activities media enterprise. I do know of 1 distinguished ESPN-er who for enjoyable would employees the corporate’s on-air expertise if ESPN ever acquired the Olympic Video games. (Since he’s already known as Olympic basketball many occasions, put me down for Mike Breen broadcasting Olympic monitor as a change up. “Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins the 400-meter hurdles … Bang!”)
As a part of a question for reader questions a few weeks in the past — learn Half 1 of the media mailbag right here and Half 2 right here — I acquired a notable query from a reader named Joshua B.:
The yr is 2030. Who’re the lead play-by-play and shade commentators for NFL protection on Amazon, CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC? In different phrases, are there any up-and-coming play-by-play announcers and sport analysts, present gamers or coaches that can shoot as much as the highest?
Joshua’s query appeared like a enjoyable train, so I believed I’d play it out in column kind. Be happy to supply your ideas within the feedback.
First, 2030 isn’t that far-off, and the NFL is at the moment at first of latest agreements with its media companions that began with the 2023 season and run by the 2033 season. There’s a huge caveat with the deal — the NFL can decide out of the offers with NBC, CBS, Fox and Amazon after seven years (the 2029 season) and Disney/ESPN the next yr. You’d must assume the NFL will do this, so we will’t say firmly the carriers in 2030 would be the very same ones as they’re right this moment. (I’d wager huge Netflix will get in additional totally in 2030.)
With the big-picture contractual state of affairs famous above, I took a shot at how the highest NFL cubicles would possibly look in 2030 based mostly on the fact of contracts, ages and simply my very own enjoyable:
Fox: Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen
ABC/ESPN: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
CBS: Jim Nantz and Tony Romo
NBC: Mike Tirico and Mike Tomlin
Amazon: Ian Eagle and Sean McVay
Netflix: Adam Amin and Travis Kelce
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Fox
My choice of Olsen is based on the speculation that Tom Brady is gone from the sales space lengthy earlier than 2030. As I wrote in my column in October about Brady’s TV future, the manufacturing restrictions round Brady’s participation “are unsustainable for the lengthy haul, and Brady will depart the sales space lengthy earlier than the top of his contract.”
Burkhardt’s bosses, Eric Shanks and Brad Zager, firmly see him as a No. 1 play-by-play voice and, at 50 years outdated, he’s a relative pup among the many play-by-play names listed above. I feel Olsen hangs out as Fox’s No. 2 analyst till Brady departs, after which Olsen and Burkhardt re-establish themselves firmly as Fox’s prime NFL group.
ABC/ESPN
The best prediction of the thought train. For my part, Buck and Aikman are the perfect working broadcast group right this moment, and their transfer to ESPN from Fox looks like it’s energized them. ESPN/ABC has the rights to Tremendous Bowl LXV in 2031, and I can’t see any dramatic adjustments within the sales space earlier than that.
CBS
Had the date of the query been after 2030, I might predict a sales space change. CBS has the rights to Tremendous Bowl LXII in 2028, and I can’t see them blowing up Nantz and Romo earlier than then given their contracts. I do know CBS could be very excessive on Matt Ryan, and it could not shock me to see him as their No. 1 sport analyst in the future, however I’m sticking with Nantz and Romo — although I’m far much less positive of this than I’m Buck and Aikman.
NBC
Now it will get attention-grabbing. Tirico is the face of the sports activities division and, at 57 years outdated, he’s not going to depart anytime quickly. Present analyst Cris Collinsworth is sort of a decade older, and I may see Comcast/NBC desirous to strive a brand new course by 2030. NFL producers who’re a part of pre-game manufacturing conferences with coaches have spoken typically about Tomlin, the present Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, being a can’t-miss man if he ever entered broadcasting, given his communication expertise, transparency and pedigree.
Amazon has reportedly proven nice curiosity in Sean McVay earlier than. (Cindy Ord / Getty Pictures)
Amazon
My colleague Andrew Marchand reported in 2022 that Amazon Prime Video was excessive sufficient on McVay’s potential as a TV sport analyst that a suggestion was being contemplated as excessive as 5 years and $100 million for an on-air position. McVay opted to return to teaching the Los Angeles Rams, however I feel by 2030 he’s working in broadcasting, so Amazon looks like an apparent match.
I’m putting Eagle right here with the caveat that he’d be Nantz’s successor on CBS’ prime NFL group ought to Nantz depart earlier and simply deal with golf. May Eagle work for each CBS (doing NCAA basketball) and Amazon (doing soccer and sure the NBA)? It’s a way more doable situation in 2030 than 2024.
Netflix
It’s merely onerous to see a situation the place Netflix doesn’t have an NFL bundle of video games within the 2030s. Kelce’s identify recognition has exponentially elevated because of a lady named Taylor Swift (USA At the moment boldly proclaimed this week that “The Kelces are the brand new royal household of media”), and he co-hosts some of the well-liked podcasts in America. The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish is clearly excited by content material creation in a post-NFL life (the dude is at the moment internet hosting a sport present), and networks will line as much as convey him on board. Netflix additionally loves the crossover with celebrities given the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul promotion and different sports-adjacent merchandise.
Would Kelce be good as a sport analyst? Who is aware of? However he’ll get a job if he needs one, and so we slot him right here. Amin is a top quality broadcaster irrespective of the task and is at the moment calling NFL video games for Fox with Mark Sanchez. Let’s simply hope Amin and Kelce’s broadcast has no buffering or streaming points.
(Prime picture of Travis Kelce: Chris Delmas / AFP)