ESPN’s coverage of the XFL will be led by big names such as Steve Levy and Pat McAfee, but what could stand out just as much is the increased television access for the league that begins in February.
ESPN will have a top team of Levy and former Jet Greg McElroy in the booth, joined by Tom Luginbill as a sideline analyst and Dianna Russini as a reporter. They will do the Saturday ABC games.
On Sunday on ABC, play-by-player Tom Hart will be joined by Joey Galloway and McAfee. McAfee, a rising star at ESPN, will be on the sideline, where there will be a lot of access.
“[McAfee] feels like a natural with the XFL,” Lee Fitting, ESPN’s senior vice president of production told The Post. “He feels like a natural down on the field for us. With the XFL, we are really pushing the access piece and the in-game access piece. Live interviews on the sideline.
Last edited by LeoNY on Wed Nov 06, 2019 10:39 am, edited 3 times in total.
Some interesting tidbits about the in game access and Pat McAfee’s unique role on the sidelines.
“The reporters are going to have some freedom. You put those thoughts together then why not Pat? He’s going to be a natural down there and we are going to give him a little bit of a longer leash to operate.”
McAfee] feels like a natural with the XFL,” Lee Fitting, ESPN’s senior vice president of production told The Post. “He feels like a natural down on the field for us. With the XFL, we are really pushing the access piece and the in-game access piece. Live interviews on the sideline.
No matter the teams, the broadcasts will be different than anything in college or pro football now.
“This isn’t all ironed out yet,” Fitting said. “We are hoping to have some type of in-game communication either with coaches and players that aren’t in the game. One of the goals is, I’m making this up: A quarterback and receiver comes off and defense comes on. We would love to have a quick two-way with the announcers and the players, who are now not in the game.
“There are going to be tons of players with mics on. There are going to be helmet cams. We will be able to listen in on coach-to-coach and coach-to-player audio in their helmet systems and spin that around as quickly as we can. We think access and audio is where we can make a difference.”
Play-by-play voice Steve Levy, analyst Greg McElroy, field analyst Tom Luginbill and reporter Dianna Russini will call the highly-anticipated XFL kickoff game – Seattle Dragons vs. DC Defenders (Feb. 8), the West Final (April 19), the XFL Championship (April 26) and weekly Saturday games on ABC in 2020.
Play-by-play voice Tom Hart, analyst Joey Galloway and field analyst Pat McAfee will call weekly Sunday games on ESPN and ABC, beginning with the St. Louis BattleHawks vs. Dallas Renegades (Feb. 9, ESPN).
GDAWG wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:05 pm
Will Pat McAfee have to dress up doing these games? He didn't on Friday doing Smackdown, but that was last minute.
Maybe some Jorts during February weather. It sounds like McAfee’s role is going to give him full reign to interview players, coaches and even referees.
We as followers of the XFL have known about Pat McAfee’s involvement with the league for a long time now, but this is getting a lot of traction and positive reviews from people who don’t care about the XFL or those who were on the fence about the league.
Not only McAfee’s involvement but his role. He’s very popular. People are going to watch the games just for his antics and commentary. His involvement is bringing more awareness to the brand.
Tank55 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:42 pm
Glad McAfee will be on the sidelines; he's pretty brutal in the booth on the Thursday night college games, IMO.
The networks' enthusiasm for the project is really exciting.
It’s the best role for McAfee to be honest. He can bring some variety to the broadcast. Let Tom Hart and Galloway be serious in the booth. McAfee will provide some laughs during games. He will make the field analyst job fun. I hope that he shows some seriousness to the product and the games. I suspect McAfee will. It’s just the way he talks and his way of thinking that is entertaining. I think what’s exciting is the potential innovation and presentation of these games. The league wants to be as fan friendly as possible to the viewer and the fans in attendance.