When Mark Schlereth was in the seventh grade, he was enrolled in a journalism class where students were required to read aloud from the newspaper. On a daily basis, he would walk in with a hat pulled down over his face and pray that he would not be called on to read because of his inability. Schlereth suffered from dyslexia from a young age, and he was able to build credibility and confidence through his athleticism that eventually parlayed itself into a distinguished 12-year career as an offensive lineman in the NFL.
Upon his name being called on that school day, Schlereth begged his teacher not to read. Effectively coerced to participate, he got up and didn’t make it through the first sentence. As a result, his teacher implored him to sit down and proceeded to call him stupid in front of the entire class.
“I get emotional just telling you that story, but that’s been my history,” Schlereth said. “That’s been my life, and so I had to find ways around that issue that I had from that point through college, I didn’t buy textbooks. I just went to class and took really good notes because reading a chapter would take me four-and-a-half hours. It was a waste of my freaking time, so you learn to adapt and to overcome and to figure out a way around it, and I’m not a victim.”
During that same year, another teacher in Schlereth’s school assisted in getting him the help he needed to overcome his dyslexia, and he is able to read today. Yet he still gets anxiety when somebody asks him to read aloud and being directed to read scripts evokes legitimate fear. Although the traumatizing experience of being belittled by his teacher continues to remain in his mind, he has found ways to adapt and thrive.
Throughout his career in sports media, which began on 760 The Zone and ESPN, Schlereth primarily served as a studio analyst. From working at the local and national levels on radio and television, he demonstrated his knowledge and insights into the game of football. As Schlereth continued to exhibit his talent, he received more opportunities and eventually joined ESPN full time where he contributed to NFL Live and SportsCenter.
“I ended up taking a pay cut to move over to FOX and with the opportunity to do some studio stuff for them as they were starting their new fledgling FS1 network, but also to call games,” Schlereth said. “I think I was guaranteed eight or nine games, but it wasn’t one of those things where I was guaranteed a full slate of games or anything, but it was something that I really thought it would be a challenge [and that] would be fun, and it’s been all of those things.”
Amid these endeavors, which also included co-hosting various radio programs, Schlereth was seldom the primary voice leading the broadcast in and out of breaks, setting up conversation or facilitating the show rundown. Conversely, he was focused on formulating strong opinions premised by facts.
As a member of the NFL on FOX franchise for the last eight seasons, Schlereth continues to engage in such preparation on a weekly basis and oftentimes spends many of his afternoons reviewing film. From there, he travels to the game site and spends time with the crew, including play-by-play announcer Chris Myers and sideline reporter Jen Hale, where they speak with teams and finalize preparations for the matchup.
“There’s this camaraderie, and there’s this teamwork where it’s very much like playing,” Schlereth said of color commentary. “It takes all of us to be on the same page to put a good broadcast together, and I think one of the cool things for me is if you’re connected – I mean, really connected with the people that you do it with – man, it’s one of the most fun things in the world because you get to celebrate everybody’s success.”
Considering potential graphics and discussions has been a constant in Schlereth’s afternoons since moving to New York City after previously living and working in Denver. Over the last two years, he said, FOX Sports has approached him, and he was hoping to be able to join a television studio program once again.
Due to family obligations though, this lifestyle was not attainable until some of his relatives moved, creating a new dynamic and ability to assume the extra responsibilities. Being paired with two former radio hosts in Craig Carton and Danny Parkins, Schlereth assumed that one of them would lead the show and that he would be there to give his perspectives and infuse entertainment.
“I always tell my partners, ‘You run the show as the host so I can run around in it,’” Schlereth emphasized, “and that’s always been the way I wanted to approach it is, ‘Just let me run around. If it doesn’t work, just let me be free to do whatever it is I feel like doing. I’m going to take this off the rails. Your job is to bring us back in, and there’ll be some poignant moments, there’ll be some great analyst-type moments, but most of the time, we’re going to have fun,’ and that’s kind of the way I’ve been as a co-host because I don’t really host the show [and] never had any intentions of hosting the show.”
That suddenly changed when Schlereth signed a contract to officially join Breakfast Ball, the new morning show on FS1 as part of its new weekday programming lineup. As he was traveling to New York, his producer mentioned logistical aspects of coming in and out of breaks, show elements over which he did not believe he would be involved in. Once Schlereth learned that he was going to be hosting the show, he expressed that the company hadn’t informed him of that when inking the deal. Nonetheless, he has tackled the matter at hand and is thriving in the dual role.
“It’s been amazing to have that thrust upon me and then trying to figure out how to direct the show and get us to where we’re supposed to be going,” Schlereth explained, “and at the same time, be an analyst and give my opinion and interject into the conversation and to really listen to the conversation, and in the same time while I’m trying to get us to where we’re supposed to go. It’s been a real challenge.”
Schlereth will utilize factors pertaining to authenticity and entertainment in order to evaluate the success of the program. While everyone from the program has a post-show meeting immediately afterwards, Schlereth does not attend because of additional obligations to co-host with Mike Evans on Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan.
“I want the guy who went to work and was listening to me on the drive to work who is doing some mundane task putting his 100th widget together [to pause] for just a second and [think] to himself – [because of] something I said – just [think] to himself, ‘Man, that guy is a freaking idiot,’ and laughs about it,” Schlereth said. “That’s my goal is to have you, at some point, pause during the day and just go, ‘What a moron,’ and that, to me, is why I’m there.”
The on-air relationship Schlereth has with Evans is something he cherishes, and he affirms his co-host to be the best person in the role with whom he has worked during his career. When Evans laughs at something he articulates, it is good for his ego. Moreover, Evans allows Schlereth to go for a little bit before bringing him back to reality. The trust and congeniality between he and Evans contributed to his decision to continue hosting the back half of the four-hour morning show.
“I didn’t want to leave the radio, but I knew that based upon the timeslot that I was going to miss some, so I put it back in radio’s lap,” Schlereth outlined. “I said, ‘How can we do what’s best for the station, to help the station and honestly help my partner, Mike Evans?’ Mike and I are very tight. I want him to be okay and the show to continue to thrive. I never had a full intention of leaving full time.”
Bonneville International added Amanda Brown as program director of Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan last year, moving into a role similar to the position she previously held at ESPN LA 710. In the prior year, Katie Reid was named market manager of its Denver stations. The recent managerial changes, however, did not preclude the company from deliberating with Schlereth and agreeing to his new role.
“They’re both really good about listening to the people who are actually doing it on air,” Schlereth said. “It’s one thing to have an opinion and to say, ‘This is what I think you guys should do,’ but to have that opinion, you also have to listen to the people that are cracking the mics every day and making it happen.”
Schlereth immediately travels upstairs to his office at the FS1 studios when Breakfast Ball ends to host on the radio utilizing a Comrex device. Before his television obligations begin, he ensures the device is properly connected to the station to prevent any delay. When his time on the air begins, he simply turns on the microphone and contributes to the show as usual. Although he refuses to meet with players and coaches remotely before NFL game broadcasts, he understands that he is able to aptly execute his role in this capacity on the air. The NFL broadcasts also require him to host Breakfast Ball remotely every Friday, introducing a two-second delay that can render it more strenuous to direct traffic.
“It becomes a very difficult kind of game to play because there is that delay, and that makes it hard, and there’s just so much better chemistry,” Schlereth said. “I know that everybody does things via Zoom and everything else, but I’m a team guy and I’m a connected person, and I like to have that connection with the people that I work with, and you can’t do that remotely.”
At the moment, Schlereth feels that his seven-day work week does not harm his effectiveness and productivity. In fact, he lauded the arrangement and divulged that he can do it for as long as the company wants. That being said, if the situation moves in a direction where it makes more sense to move him out of the show, he will completely understand it.
“I find my moments, but yeah, to grind you got to take care of yourself, and sometimes that means, ‘Hey man, I’m not going to dinner tonight. I’m so tired, I’m just going to bed,’ so those are the things,” Schlereth said. “Those are decisions you have to make when you’re busy adulting.”
Through all of his commitments, being able to celebrate successes as a group has been a rewarding outcome. Working in sports media enables Schlereth to have a platform on which to celebrate the triumphs of others both on the field and behind the scenes. As someone who has been a team-oriented professional from his time taking the gridiron, he aspires to retain his schedule and never take any time for granted.
“For me, one of the coolest things about being a broadcaster or broadcasting games is sitting around with the guys and talking about football and talking about putting a show together, and then ultimately having all these plans and then the ball’s kicked off and you have no idea where it’s going to go,” Schlereth said. “That’s exhilarating.”
Derek Futterman is a contributing editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.
