Retiring CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus spent time on Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo while in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII. This is the final Super Bowl for McManus who is retiring in April.
“I wish it was 6:40 EST and the ball was being kicked in the air on Sunday,” McManus said. “It’s a long week, we have literally been working on this project for over a year.”
Asked by Russo why the NFL has dominated the television ratings over the last few seasons, McManus said, “I just think the NFL is stronger and more appealing than ever. It is in the news cycle 52 weeks a year…it gets bigger and bigger…I think the production that all of us are doing, it’s the best television programming there is.”
Russo asked McManus about several non-sports shows and how they do compared to the NFL, including last weekend’s Grammys, which did 16.9 million viewers. “There will never ever again be a telvision show, other than an NFL game, that will get 56 million viewers.”
As for how McManus and CBS will keep viewers entertained over the long pre-game window, he said, “We will have great features. Las Vegas is going to be showcased throughout the four hours…I think people will watch a lot of it, I think they will be entertained.”
McManus was also asked by Russo about Taylor Swift and how she might factor in to the broadcast. “If she’s there, we are going to do exactly what we have done in the past,” he said. “When she is part of the storyline, [we will] put a shot of her into our coverage. There’s no question there are people who are interested in NFL football because of Taylor Swift. It’s just a fact. So you want to give them a glimpse, normally when Travis or the Chiefs do something special. We aren’t going to overdo it, but we are going to satisfy the fans who want to see her. She is the biggest star, right now, in the world, so we’re not going to ignore it…I think it’s part of the story.”
Russo and other media have been fairly critical of CBS analyst Tony Romo who will join Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson for the call of the game. Russo said, “I think this is a big game for Romo. I think a lot of the bloom is off the rose. I think there has been a little more criticism than what most analysts get. I think he can undo a lot of that with a big performance on Sunday and I do think a game like this is about the analyst. Do you buy the fact that Romo needs to really come raring to go on Sunday afternoon?”
“I think no matter what the public perception has been, it would always be a big game for Tony. I do believe that some of the criticism, most of which I think is undeserved, but it’s not an objective, its a subjective evaluation. I think it’s an important game for him no matter what. I think if people really listeend to Tony…he’s more of a fan, he gets excited. We sometimes say to him ‘Hey, calm down a little bit because you do get too into the game’ which I think is a plus. But I think, generally speaking, people really enjoy listening to [Jim] Nantz, [Tony] Romo and Tracy Wolfson.”
