Next Thursday night, Charissa Thompson will be leading the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for Amazon Prime Video’s first NFL regular season game broadcast between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. Being part of launching a new network or broadcast isn’t something that’s uncommon for Thompson over the course of her career.
Thompson was on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Thursday and she mentioned how she feels lucky to be a part of Amazon’s NFL coverage after she was a part of the first Big Ten Network football game and she was at FS1 when that network launched as well.
“I feel so lucky. I got to be part of a launch of the Big 10 Network, my first ever game on the air for the Big 10 Network was my first ever sideline game, Michigan-Appalachian State. I remember walking to the car after the fact with Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis and they said where does that rank of all the games you worked? I said this was my first one.
“With FS1, I got to launch that as well. I feel very lucky to have had that experience and now with this unprecedented platform of Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football package being the first ever streamer to have rights to the NFL, it’s awesome. I feel so, so grateful. I don’t just say that because that’s what you are supposed to say. I genuinely feel that way….I’m just waiting for them to kick me off this set like I got kicked off the field at Lambeau and say your time is up.”
Yes, you read that right. Thompson was kicked out of Lambeau Field once before by Mike McCarthy before the NFC Championship Game when she was a co-host on The Best Damn Sports Show Period. She got into that story as well:
“Mike McCarthy had me kicked off the field because I was running routes with Eli Manning doing cartwheels and nonsense…We were out on the field talking about how cold it was and I was trying to stay warm so Eli was like throwing me passes….It made for a funny story, but at the time I thought am I going to be in trouble? But, I didn’t get in trouble. They didn’t scold me after the fact. They were like, did you get the feature? I got the feature.”
Even though there might be nerves for many people before a big broadcast like Prime Video has upcoming, Thompson says she doesn’t feel nervous with anything she does in the industry because she likes being put in uncomfortable situations.
“I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. I don’t get nervous a lot when it comes to my profession. I think about it like this. Whatever happens, happens. Hopefully, I like to believe that I am prepared and I love live television because I like to react to what happens next. I like being put in uncomfortable, precarious situations and figuring out how I can maneuver out of them or save some of my colleagues as well.
“I think that the adrenaline is similar to playing sports. You get excited right before a tipoff or before you do anything in the athletic space. For me, it’s a matter of preparation and sitting at the desk and knowing that your employers have enough belief in you and don’t screw it up and try not to embarrass yourself or them.”
