Cowl 7 | Friday A day by day NFL vacation spot that gives in-depth evaluation of soccer’s largest tales. Every Friday, Richard Deitsch examines among the largest storylines within the NFL media world.
Richie Zyontz obtained his foot within the door of sports activities broadcasting in an virtually unheard-of means as we speak: He took a full-time safety job at CBS’ headquarters on West 52nd Road in New York within the late Seventies and finally made his means into the analysis division for CBS Sports activities. He can be the primary individual to let you know that he’s old skool.
For 5 many years Zyontz has produced professional soccer on the highest degree, together with the final 21 years because the lead producer on Fox’s high NFL broadcast. He has served because the lead tv producer for seven Tremendous Bowls, an task perhaps two dozen or so folks on earth can say they’ve performed.
Between Zyontz and Fox lead NFL director Wealthy Russo, they’ve been a part of 29 Tremendous Bowls, together with time at Fox and CBS Sports activities. Final yr’s Tremendous Bowl was Russo’s fifth as lead director.
Zyontz produced John Madden for a few years and texted the legendary broadcaster day by day earlier than his dying. The 2 have been so interconnected that Madden launched Zyontz to his spouse, June, in 1986 and was the perfect man at Zyontz’s 1990 marriage ceremony, which occurred at Madden’s previous home.
“I’m grateful John isn’t round to listen to that we’re speaking to a reporter about Taylor Swift as a result of I might not have gotten off straightforward,” Zyontz mentioned, laughing.
However right here we’re. This website has performed loads of Taylor Swift this week. Chances are you’ll be sick of it, and I can perceive that. I’m not right here to let you know that the haters can’t hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. However as a column designed to offer you somewhat background on the intersection of the NFL and the media, I used to be curious how the behind-the-scenes folks for Fox’s broadcast of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ sport towards the Chicago Bears final week approached a broadcast the place probably the most well-known folks on the planet was at Arrowhead Stadium sitting in a set subsequent to the mom of probably the greatest tight ends in NFL historical past.
Zyontz mentioned that his Fox crew had no official phrase from the NFL or the Chiefs that Swift can be in attendance. They have been conscious of the Travis Kelce and Swift connection as a result of they stay on Planet Earth. Throughout pregame warmups, sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi independently discovered Swift was anticipated on the sport. (Zyontz wrote a blog for Fox Sports’ website after we talked that gives further background right here.)
“Within the pregame, Erin and (analyst) Greg Olsen have been on the sector and Greg known as Kelce over and requested what was happening and he form of unofficially confirmed that she’d be there,” Zyontz mentioned. “Up till that time, we didn’t actually have something agency. Simply rumors. Nobody from the league or workforce gave us a heads up.”
A few hours earlier than kickoff, Russo knowledgeable his digital camera operators of the potential for Swift exhibiting up as a result of it’s an apparent shot for a broadcast crew in the identical means sports activities telecasts will virtually all the time present well-known folks at a sport. Rinaldi’s daughter was monitoring social media and handed alongside updates to her father who handed them alongside to the manufacturing truck. Russo informed his digital camera operators to pan the company suites.
“I’m considering she’s not going to be on the sector throughout pregame, however I imply, what the hell do I actually know?” Russo mentioned, laughing. “Gamers left the sector at about 3 p.m. native time and there was no signal of her. So earlier than the sport, I had sure cameras simply type of look in these respective suites.”
Russo mentioned about 5 minutes earlier than participant introductions, one in every of his digital camera operators recognized Swift at the back of Kelce’s suite. Andrews additionally acknowledged her from her vantage level.
Figuring out the place Swift was only one a part of the equation. Subsequent got here the true subject of how a broadcast ought to navigate this. It might be editorial dereliction to not present Swift in some unspecified time in the future throughout the sport. However on the identical time, you don’t need the printed to change into “Entry Hollywood.”
Taylor Swift is HERE for the Chiefs sport 👀 pic.twitter.com/46SW4gEodz
— FOX Sports activities: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 24, 2023
“In a state of affairs like this, the printed crew, on this case (play-by-play broadcaster) Kevin (Burkhardt) and (Olsen), would comply with our lead with the photographs,” Zyontz mentioned. “It was form of as much as us to type of captain this throughout the day. Russo and I’ve been via this sort of factor earlier than. Celebrities at a sport is nothing new for us, however often simply to point out them as soon as. This superstar had a vested curiosity within the sport. It required somewhat extra restraint on our half. Whether or not we succeeded or not might be not for us to guage. However I feel as soon as the sport obtained going and it was an terrible sport, these circumstances perhaps helped us as a result of we weren’t actually lacking a lot. It was a horrible sport, but it surely additionally type of had a joyful really feel all through as a result of the occasions we did present her, she was reacting. It wasn’t gratuitously exhibiting her all through the course of the day. When there was an image available, I feel we confirmed it.”
The truth that the sport was such a blowout — the ultimate rating was 41-10, and Fox moved a few of its viewers off the sport as a result of it was noncompetitive —made exhibiting Swift, at the very least from my perspective, a personality within the broadcast fairly than an over-the-top distraction. She gave Burkhardt and Olsen some enjoyable content material in a sport that was a viewing slog.
“As soon as the sport begins, we’re there to cowl the sport, however there’s that stability as to how usually we present her and once we present her,” Russo mentioned. “Kelce had seven receptions and we’re not going to go to a shot of Taylor Swift after each catch. Or if Kevin and Greg point out Taylor Swift, we’re not going to routinely go to a Taylor Swift shot as a result of then I feel it appears like we actually are overdoing it. Like Richie mentioned, I feel the truth that it was such a blowout, particularly within the second half, most likely helped us within the sense the place perhaps we are able to present somewhat greater than perhaps regular.”
Russo mentioned he assigned a low finish zone digital camera operator, Andy Mitchell, to control the suite, anticipating the chance that Kelce may catch a landing go. The rationale Russo selected that digital camera place was as a result of Swift was wanting in that route from the suite.
“Lo and behold, he scored a landing, and that was a hell of an awesome image,” Russo mentioned. “That got here with somewhat forethought. Generally when individuals are in suites, there could be glare, there could be solar, the glass could be down. It’s not essentially assured that you will get photographs of these folks primarily based on the place the suite is in relation to the solar. So we have been lucky that she was seen throughout the course of the sport.
Zyontz and Russo discovered all of the Swift stuff amusing, particularly their small piece in it.
“Hear, I’ve a daughter who is a large Taylor Swift fan,” Russo mentioned. “Once I’m within the automotive driving along with her, she’s enjoying Taylor Swift music on a regular basis. So I used to be conscious of what we have been moving into. You don’t give it some thought throughout the course of the sport, however clearly, I do know we’re speaking about one of many largest entertainers on this planet proper now.”
“I might say I used to be just about shocked by the aftermath,” Zyontz mentioned. “I didn’t actually perceive the impression of what this international icon means to folks. This is sort of a merging of various worlds, proper? You don’t usually see grizzled cigar-smoking Bears followers watching a soccer sport together with an entire era of younger folks simply to see a cutaway shot of their hero. It caught me somewhat off guard. Hopefully this week we are able to get again to soccer.”
The Chiefs-Bears sport went to 67 % of the nation (33 % had the Dallas Cowboys towards the Arizona Cardinals) in Fox’s late-afternoon window. The window averaged 24.322 million viewers, which far exceeded the following most-watched NFL sport (Pittsburgh Steelers–Las Vegas Raiders on “Sunday Night time Soccer,” which averaged 20.6 million viewers). The sport was down from the identical Week 3 time slot final yr, when 24.4 million watched Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in a Inexperienced Bay Packers–Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup.
Amazon Prime Video is off to a superb begin with its “Thursday Night time Soccer” bundle. The New York Giants–San Francisco 49ers sport on Sept. 21 averaged 13.92 million viewers whereas the Minnesota Vikings–Philadelphia Eagles sport averaged 15.05 million the prior week. These two video games are the 2 largest audiences for “Thursday Night time Soccer” because the bundle moved to Amazon.
(Picture of a Kansas Metropolis Chiefs fan cheering throughout Sunday’s sport: David Eulitt / Getty Photographs)
