"The Super Bowl is more than a football game, it's America culture. ESPN doesn’t have to convince viewers why they should watch, as it has worked to do with the College Football Playoff National Championship."
"It is indeed an eclectic group of broadcast teams for the NFL in 2026, but across the board, there is a shared characteristic. All of the networks have play-by-play announcers who never put themselves above the game."
"The Football Tax feels like an investment. Every year, football asks fans for a little more, and every year, fans grumble. Every year, we pay it anyway."
"Roger Goodell isn’t apologizing for wanting more — more games, more viewers, more revenue, more reach. Because as long as fans keep showing up, turning on the television, clicking the stream, and arguing about every call online, the NFL has no reason to slow down."
"The FCC probably can't do much. Its jurisdiction over streaming is murky. Netflix and Amazon don't answer to it the way broadcast stations do. The agency's sharpest weapon is noise — enough of it that Congress eventually acts."
"The industry spends so much time chasing what’s next — new platforms, new angles, new metrics — that it sometimes forgets what worked. A well-timed throwback isn’t regression. It’s perspective."
"Across our platforms, screens, and parks, we’ll build momentum throughout the year toward Super Bowl LXI — a monumental event for sports fans everywhere and for ESPN."
"For all its flaws, the College Football Playoff got this part right. Until viewership tells a different story, there’s no reason to fix what isn’t broken."
"ESPN has increased year-over-year viewership across the board. The network is up 4% in total-day audience and 9% in prime time compared to the same period in 2024."
This shouldn’t take much time and, in fact, might add to the on-air conversation. The host can give real reasons why some of the polls about your market’s midterms are good or bogus, beyond “How can Candidate X be ahead?” or “You can’t believe any of the polls.”