On America’s largest broadcasting stage, Kevin Burkhardt proved FOX right.
It would have been very easy for the network to sign Al Michaels after NBC decided to move on from the legendary broadcaster. Reportedly, New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft lobbied the network to bring Michaels aboard.
Instead, FOX made the more difficult decision and elevated Burkhardt and Greg Olsen to the network’s top booth — knowing full well their first season culminated in a Super Bowl — after the departure of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
It would have been incredibly easy for the higher-ups at FOX Sports to simply say “Al Michaels is available, Al Michaels is a legend, and Al Michaels is moving to the top NFL booth on our network”. Insanely easy. That’s a logical decision! But they stuck to their guns, showed other talent at the network that there was a possibility to move up through their ranks, and were the beneficiary of a great Super Bowl broadcast because of it.
I’ve said it before and will say it again until it’s no longer required: NFL television crews — whether game booths or studio shows — are all about familiarity. The reason FOX NFL Sunday does so well isn’t that it has the best cast (it doesn’t), has the best host (it doesn’t), or the best production (it doesn’t). It’s because NFL fans know FOX NFL Sunday. It has been — virtually — untouched for going on 25 years.
The reason Michaels, Pat Summerall, Jim Nantz, Dick Enberg, or (insert longtime NFL television play-by-play announcer here) is/was so highly regarded is not only because of their ability, but their longevity.
I’ve often heard that if you stay in a media role for more than 25 years, people will start referring to you as a legend — warranted or unwarranted –simply because you stayed in a role that spanned generations.
NFL viewers like familiarity. And yet, the top FOX booth was unfamiliar coming into the season, and for the roughly 80 million people who tuned into Super Bowl LVII and had never seen or heard of Burkhardt or Olson, the unfamiliarity could be jarring. I’m not sure either is a household name outside of NFL fandom, but the pair conveyed the game to both diehards and the “I’m just watching so I know what commercials to talk about with my co-workers tomorrow” crowd.
Burkhardt’s story is now well-known in sports media circles: At 30 years old, he was making $18,000 calling high school sports and selling cars on the side to make ends meet, and now he’s calling Super Bowls. It’s a truly great story, and I know people were rooting for him and Olsen as an almost “stick it to the man” situation after FOX agreed to a megadeal with Tom Brady.
But in a day and age when being criticized — fairly or unfairly — is what is to be expected, I saw nary a criticism of Burkhardt Sunday evening.
He was never boisterous, never over the top, and never outlandish. He was rock solid for the entire broadcast.
If “that was a really ugly tie, Kevin” and “maybe tone it down on the ‘brilliant minds in that picture’ with Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch” are the biggest critiques of a Super Bowl broadcast, you did a damn fine job.
John Tortorella — the most successful American coach in NHL history — had a saying he impressed upon his players during his time in Columbus: “Safe is death”. FOX could have played it safe and hired the legendary Michaels. Instead, it took the leap of faith with Burkhardt, and it paid off. They have their top NFL voice for decades, and rightfully so. Burkhardt did a masterful job in his first Super Bowl, and in return, FOX was awarded for its loyalty.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
