Everyone who has watched the game of football on television for longer than 10 minutes, knows that majority of the broadcast can be brutally bland. Don’t get me wrong, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck are some all-time greats in the booth; But aren’t they reminiscent of La Croix sparkling water?
Enter: arguably the most famous family in all of sports. The Mannings. The world has waited for Peyton Manning’s move into coaching but instead dove into entertainment. From commercial skits with brother Eli on Sportscenter to his own series “Peyton’s Places” on ESPN+, Peyton has been making people laugh. Everyone at some point or another has seen a funny clip with a member of the Manning family.
Let us not forget Tom Brady’s nightmare otherwise known as Eli Manning. The retired QB seems more likeable now that he is off the field. Sure, he is heralded as the hero of NY and brought the city 2 superbowls, both against arguably the greatest QB of all time, mind you. But after many frustrating seasons following the second superbowl win, even Giants fans were getting frustrated with Eli. Thankfully he retired before really driving his stock down.
It has recently been announced that there will be an alternate Monday Night Football broadcast featuring both Peyton and Eli Manning. According to ESPN.com, the broadcast will be aired on ESPN2 for 10 games in all of the next 3 seasons. Not only is this intriguing because we have two superbowl winning quarterback brothers, but they’re also going to have past and current NFL players and celebrities alike on the broadcast, which should make for some incredible conversation!
This is a huge opportunity for the broadcast world to be shaken up and actually become more entertaining. With all due respect to the current broadcasters in the booths, this is a chance see a revolutionary shift in entertainment for the better. The higher echelons of sports media in general just feels so bland and follows the cadence of the same reactions and dialogues as we’ve seen in the past. This is likely due to the fact that all higher seats in the NFL (and other leagues) are taken up by people who are, let’s say: up there in age and likely holding on to the “old ways” and things that haven’t changed since the inception of the NFL. As the game grows, so do rules, so why can’t broadcasting adapt and be more fun as well?
Peyton Manning has an incredible dynamic of being both professional and down to Earth at the same time. If history tells us anything, the Mannings’ usually succeed in what they try their hand in. There is so much potential for a breakthrough on a more relatable fan-broadcaster relationship in the booth rather than having two uptight standardized broadcasters that have been accustomed to doing everything outlined and proper, unlike a real conversation (again, no real shot at anyone in particular).
We could be opened to a new world of down to Earth, comedic style broadcast. This will open the door for more personalities to shine after sports. A good example of this is Deion Sanders and Shaquille O’Neal. They bring a fresh excitement to the media that should be promoted more in my opinion. This could usher in a younger style of thinking for the sports media world that feels outdated. It would be good for every league and make things interesting across the board! We can see more things be let loose. I mean they JUST brought back celebrations to the NFL not long ago (plot twist: they’re going to emphasize penalizing “taunting” this year, so that was fun while it lasted).
If nothing else, at LEAST we all have a good alternative solution to the horrendous Monday Night Football broadcasts we’ve had over the last few years. I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyone of Booger McFarland.