Peyton Manning continues to dominate sports media with news that he will join NBC to cover the 2024 Paris Olympics. Manning will take part in NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony alongside longtime friend and lead voice for NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcasts Mike Tirico.
In an interview with The Athletic, Manning tells Andrew Marchand why he decided to cover the event at Tirico’s behest. “I kind of argued with him as to why he and NBC thought I was worthy,” Manning said. “He said they were bringing in Kelly Clarkson to kind of give the perspective of a fan and wanted me to share the perspective of what these athletes are thinking about it.”
While Manning battled internally about his perceived worthiness, he eventually said yes, and Tirico couldn’t be happier. Joining Manning and Tirico will be longtime sports fan and platinum-selling recording artist Kelly Clarkson. “I couldn’t be more thrilled that they both said yes,” Tirico said of Manning and Clarkson joining him for the Opening Ceremony.
Peyton Manning will still maintain his post at Omaha Productions, which has a long-standing partnership with ESPN. Omaha Productions is behind the Places series of shows for ESPN+, as well as the “ManningCast” alternate broadcast for Monday Night Football. Manning said Jimmy Pitaro himself signed off on allowing Manning to work for a competitor. Should Manning be on the market, though, he’s made an impression on NBC brass:
“So far, I’ve been so impressed because, not surprisingly, he’s a maniac for research and preparation,” Molly Solomon, the president of NBC’s Olympic productions, said.
