FS1’s new morning sports show ‘Breakfast Ball‘ is just that, a ball. I love the on-air combination of Craig Carton, Mark Schlereth, and Danny Parkins. Specific kudos to FS1 for the hiring of Schlereth. With everything skewing younger these days on television, it’s nice to see a 50-something dude as the host and centerpiece of a sports program.
Each of the talents on this program bring a different skill set. Carton is the seasoned and prototypical sports shock jock, a veteran of WFAN and FOX – ranting and raving his way through multimedia formats and life’s ups and downs.
Schlereth is the grizzled former NFL lineman with Washington and Denver, a three-time Super Bowl champ who has always shone brightly as a media personality regardless of the network. Parkins is part of a new breed. He joined Fox Sports this year coming off a successful run as co-host of the Parkins & Spiegel Show on 670 The Score in Chicago.
I love the mix of this ensemble cast. While Schlereth opens the show, there really isn’t a host per se. Everyone kind of jumps in and gives their opinions, but leaves space for the others. On the premiere show, Monday, August 26, Schlereth opened the proceedings. His understated, yet emotional tones have long been a favorite of mine. He can talk about all aspects of football, from offensive line play to quarterbacking to defense while also adeptly commenting on other sports.
Carton’s strengths are emotion and his true love of sports. He’s a wise guy and will always try to find the sarcastic, funny angle on a topic, but that’s essential on ‘Breakfast Ball’. Schlereth is not a comedian, and neither is Parkins. Carton definitely carries the comedic load on the program. He is an absolute ball of fire. In his Big Deal segment, Carton unloads superlatives and generally goes off big time. It’s fun to watch.
Parkins is a whole different story. Let’s be honest, this guy does not look like the typical, squared jawed sports gabber. He’s almost nerdy in his appearance, but he is smart, quick-witted, and on point. Parkins made his bones in the tough Chicago sports market, and he’s now bringing that to the national spotlight.
I love the way he dissects an issue and provides hot takes, like on the premiere edition when he said that Caleb Williams is already the best quarterback in Chicago Bears history. Parkins pulls no punches and does not cling to contemporary wisdom or the status quo.
Carton, Schlereth, and Parkins offer bright, intelligent, and enthusiastic interaction. They really fill the two hours with quality and content. Different perspectives and backgrounds, diverse life paths, good experiences and bad experiences, this is what Carton, Schlereth, and Parkins bring to ‘Breakfast Ball’. They are unlike any triumvirate in sports programming today.
The Tuesday, August 27 show opened with a discussion of CeeDee Lamb signing a huge contract with the Cowboys. Carton said that he still has a lot of concerns with the Cowboys given the young and inexperienced talent around Lamb and Dak Prescott. The Breakfast Ball production team mixes in stat graphics as well as highlights as the panel discusses a particular issue. That video variety brings the show to a different level of information.
Again, with the hot take, Parkins said that no skill position player means more to the Cowboys than Lamb. Carton, an unabashed Jets fan, then moved the discussion to the pressure on Aaron Rodgers to bring a title to New York. Schlereth opined that Rodgers needs to win another ring to be at the “big boy table” with the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, and others. Parkins countered that only Manning and Rodgers have four MVPs.
In the Contend or Pretend segment, the panel discussed which NFC team they trust the most. Parkins picked the Detroit Lions, and Schlereth backed him up, saying that Jared Goff is the top 10 quarterback no one talks about. Carton, however, disagreed saying that the Lions still have much to prove and that Green Bay and Chicago are better than last year.
While the conversation went on, graphics showed betting odds for NFC title contenders. This was a solid back-and-forth on an interesting subject. The trio then moved onto the Panic Button segment. I like the quick hitting topics with nifty titles that ‘Breakfast Ball’ offers. They keep the show moving and don’t waste 20 minutes on one story. These segments give the show pacing and variety.
With an actual panic button situated in the middle of the studio desk, Carton reached over with authority and hit it for the Buffalo Bills. His Jet fandom came out, saying that New York is for real and will take the title from Buffalo. He also cited several good players who are no longer with the Bills and made the interesting point that coach Sean McDermott might be being set up to be the fall guy.
Schlereth hit the panic button on the Pittsburgh Steelers citing the so-called quarterback battle between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. In a funny retort, Parkins interjected that he saw a worse battle between Mitchell Trubisky and Mike Glennon while covering the Bears.
Carton hit the panic button for the Jaguars with Parkins saying that the Texans are now better than Jacksonville and that he expects Trevor Lawrence to be only average. One thing that stands out about these ‘Breakfast Ball’ cats is that they really know their sports.
There are no lulls in the conversation and while I know the topics are planned in pre-production, the hosts definitely free wheel with their comments and debates. Later in the show, as Parkins predicted the Jets to finish third in the AFC East, Carton dawned a gigantic Jets hat and shook his head in anger.
For his bold prediction, Schlereth went back to his former team, the Broncos, and predicted that quarterback Bo Nix would win Rookie of the Year. He pointed to Nix’s number of games played in college, his maturity, and leadership. Carton joked that Schlereth was acting like Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton’s spokesperson.
I like that these guys don’t let any of their cohorts get away with anything on the show. They razz and dog each other at every opportunity. Perhaps the most surprising take in the Bold Prediction segment was Carton’s assertion that the Chiefs will not make it to the AFC title game.
‘Breakfast Ball’ actually reminds me of the film, The Breakfast Club – a diverse group of characters stuck in a room together, having to get along and figure things out for themselves. The conversation is engaging. The subject matter is topical, and the personalities are bright, interesting, and informed. The program has had a tremendous tip off, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the ‘Breakfast Ball’ bounces from here.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
If carton stays he needs a pay check