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Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases

Archives for February 2024

ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm Heads to Iowa City Ahead of Top-5 Showdown Between No. 2 Ohio State at No. 4 Iowa

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ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm® travels to Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday, March 3 for its fourth of five women’s college basketball shows this season. The one-hour program will air at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN live from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, preceding the top-ranked showdown between No. 4 Iowa and No. 2 Ohio State.

The post ESPN’s <i> College GameDay Covered by State Farm </i> Heads to Iowa City Ahead of Top-5 Showdown Between No. 2 Ohio State at No. 4 Iowa appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..

AN APPRECIATION OF PETER KING FROM HIS NBC SPORTS COLLEAGUES

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STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 26, 2024 – Peter King’s NBC Sports colleagues share their appreciation following his retirement announcement this morning after a 44-year career as a sportswriter and more than 27 years writing his weekly Monday morning NFL column.

King joined NBC Sports exclusively in 2018, writing his FMIA column, presenting The Peter King Podcast, making weekly appearances on PFT Live and contributing to Football Night in America.

Following are quotes from King’s NBC Sports colleagues on his retirement announcement:

Cris Collinsworth, Analyst, Sunday Night Football: “From his days as the beat reporter in Cincinnati to his brilliant career at Sports Illustrated and NBC, not many people have known Peter King longer nor respected him more. In an era where it is harder to find reporting to trust, the loss of Peter’s voice in football will create a chasm not easily filled. Peter, we love, respect, and admire all that you represent in our profession. We all wish you and Ann a glorious next chapter in one of our all-time favorite books.”

Rick Cordella, President, NBC Sports: “Peter is the best pro football writer of all time. No one brought fans closer to the inner workings of the National Football League. And he did it with his unique brand of storytelling, like a friend telling you about their trip, only it was to Oxnard, Calif., or Bryant College.”

Sam Flood, Executive Producer & President, Production, NBC Sports: “Writing a must-read column each week for nearly three decades takes a special talent. Peter King is that and so much more. A star reporter and writer who can talk to most anyone in the NFL at any time, Peter is both passionate about his work and compassionate in the way he goes about it. Since 2006, we’ve been lucky to work closely with Peter, first on Football Night in America and for the last six seasons as the home of his Monday morning column. Peter, we thank you for your dedication and wish you the best in your adventures to come. Look forward to toasting you and your Beernerdness with a bottle of Bud.”

Fred Gaudelli, Executive Producer, NFL, NBC Sports: “For as long as I’ve been associated with NFL telecasts, Peter King has been the sport’s foremost writer. Through his many relationships, he’s taken us inside the game’s most memorable characters and unforgettable plays, and when he had to, he held all to account. No one has served NFL fans more faithfully and consistently over the course of his career. Monday Morning Quarterback and Football Morning in America were appointment reads, and it’s strange to think of a world without them. I just wish Peter a retirement as fulfilling has his professional career and hope he’ll bang the keyboard a few times a season to satiate his fans.”

Mike Tirico, Play-by-Play, Sunday Night Football: “Monday mornings just will not be the same.  Peter’s column had it all – a walk through history, a trip behind the curtain, travelogue, coffee and beer suggestions and just common sense. His column was one that as you read it, you could almost hear it in Peter’s distinct voice. It was an honor to be a teammate and even one-time vacation fill-in for The King. Congratulations and thank you Peter…there is no one like you.”

– NBC SPORTS –

Six Exclusive NHL Games this Week on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+/Hulu

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Coming off a remarkable Stadium Series weekend in New Jersey, the NHL season continues this week with six exclusive matchups beginning Tuesday, February 27, with an ESPN+/Hulu double header. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET when the Buffalo Sabres face former teammate Sam Reinhart and the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. Later that night, the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars take on the Nathan MacKinnon-led Colorado Avalanche at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The post Six Exclusive NHL Games this Week on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+/Hulu appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..

ESPN Hires Major League Baseball Reporter Jorge Castillo to Cover New York Yankees and New York Mets

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ESPN has hired journalist Jorge Castillo as its newest Major League Baseball writer ahead of the upcoming 2024 MLB regular season. He starts in his new role covering the New York Yankees and New York Mets with ESPN.com today.

The post ESPN Hires Major League Baseball Reporter Jorge Castillo to Cover New York Yankees and New York Mets appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..

PETER KING ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT AND RECALLS HIS FAVORITE MOMENTS, PLAYERS, AND INTERVIEWS IN HIS FINAL “FMIA” COLUMN

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“To be a long-termer in an increasingly short-term business, to write this column for 27 years and to be a sportswriter for 44, well, that’s something I’ll always be grateful for. Truly, I’ve loved it all.” – King on his career as a sportswriter

“I think FMIA and The Peter King Podcast could not exist without the support of so many, and I must thank those vital people.” – King on those who made FMIA happen

“Some of you have stayed with me since I started this in 1997…We all like to feel like we’re read, and your reactions, good and bad, 250 or so every week over the past few years, have really added a lot to my life in the business.” – King on his audience

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 26, 2024 – Peter King announces his retirement and recalls his fondest memories covering the NFL in his final edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses his favorite game, people, interviews and more from his 27 years writing his Monday morning column. Peter King joined NBC Sports exclusively in 2018, writing his FMIA column, presenting The Peter King Podcast, making weekly appearances on PFT Live and contributing to Football Night in America.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel for free, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all these videos and more, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

RETIREMENT

King on his career as a sportswriter: “Who’s complaining? Not me. I’m the luckiest man on the face of the earth. To be a long-termer in an increasingly short-term business, to write this column for 27 years and to be a sportswriter for 44, well, that’s something I’ll always be grateful for. Truly, I’ve loved it all.”

King’s response to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid asking if he’d retire last year: “I didn’t know what to say, because I’d been thinking about it. But I still liked doing the work so much that I decided to come back for the year, pretty sure it would be my last.”

King on what his family has meant to him throughout his career: “The sacrifices my wife, Ann, and my kids, Laura and Mary Beth, and their families have made for me to do this job at the highest level have been significant.”

King on the joy he found in his career: “There are things about this job I’ll never find in another gig, no matter how much fun any future job is. Breaking the four-game Lawrence Taylor drug suspension in 1988. Brett Favre spilling the secret to me of going into rehab, and why, in 1996.”

King on the importance of his audience throughout the years: “We all like to feel like we’re read, and your reactions, good and bad, 250 or so every week over the past few years, have really added a lot to my life in the business.”

FAVORITES

Moment: Steve Young’s hotel suite, Post-Super Bowl XXIX

King on 49ers quarterback Steve Young celebrating in bed with IVs in both arms: “This was one of the strangest post-game celebrations in Super Bowl history. (Steve) Young had maybe 40 family members and friends in the room and spilling out into the hotel hallway, and even the wooziness wasn’t affecting his glee.”

Interviews:

King on his interview with former Packers quarterback Brett Favre after winning Super Bowl XXXI: “I went to the team party at the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, espied (Brett) Favre with a ton of people around him, waved my arms, got his attention, and pointed to a stairwell near him, and we met in there for 20 minutes or so. We sat on a luggage cart.”

King on former New York Giant DE George Martin: “In 2007, disgusted by the lax federal support of sick 9/11 first-responders, (George) Martin decided to walk from the George Washington Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge, 3,000 miles, to raise money for the cause. I met him in western Tennessee, outside of Memphis, to walk 18 miles with him, including mile 1,000.”

Game: Jan. 3, 1993: Buffalo 41, Houston 38

King on the Bills coming back from a 32-point deficit to win: “(Frank) Reich went out and threw four TD passes in the second half and the Bills won in overtime. Reich played/sat for 13 NFL seasons, starting 42 games. He had one four-TD game. This was it. Pretty crazy to think that those four touchdowns came in a playoff game, in 23 minutes.”

MR. NICE GUYS

King on QB Tom Brady: “I’ll always appreciate when he entered the sphere of international megastar and still made time for me, long past the time when I could really do anything for him.”

King on QB Phil Simms: “Other than (Peyton) Manning, I’ve never met a player as intensely interested in talking football at any time of the day or night. Great guy to cover for my four years on the Giants’ beat in the eighties.”

King on QB Charlie Batch: “His work with the needy in hardscrabble areas of Pittsburgh is inspirational. Should write a book on how players, even non-superstar players, can make a huge difference in their hometowns.”

King on LB Harry Carson: “One of the best leaders I’ve seen in sports, and one of the kindest. Amazing to read in Gary Myers’ book “Once a Giant:” Carson today still considers himself the captain of the players on the Giants in the eighties. When they need him, he’s there.”

King on OT Anthony Munoz: “What always amazed me about (Anthony) Munoz, in the one season I covered him (1984) and every time I’d see him after a game after that, is how calm and thoughtful he could be 15 minutes after doing battle with the best pass-rushers in football.”

THANK YOU

King on his daughters: “It takes a special family to make this wonderful life possible. My daughters Laura and Mary Beth grew up mostly without a weekend dad for five to six months a year; maybe they liked the freedom, I don’t know. But they never complained.”

King on those who made FMIA happen: “I think FMIA and The Peter King Podcast could not exist without the support of so many, and I must thank those vital people.”

King on what he’ll miss the most: “The training camp tour. Best month of the work year. Forty-five minutes in Andy Reid’s cinderblock dorm room, real time with quarterbacks and other key guys, watching practice to see things like Josh Allen sprint downfield to chase an interceptor—you learn a lot in that month.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

    • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio (Mondays) and Florio and Chris Simms (Tuesday-Thursday) streams on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays & is available on-demand. The Dan Patrick Show streams at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams Tuesday-Friday.
    • com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
    • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
    • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe.

 

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

ESPN Debuts Tournament Challenge Campaign “Anyone Can Bracket”

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Another March is coming, and that means the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments are near. Over the years, millions of college basketball fans have turned to ESPN and their No. 1 Tournament Challenge game to fill out a men’s and women’s bracket.

The post ESPN Debuts Tournament Challenge Campaign “Anyone Can Bracket” appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..

LUKE DONALD TO SERVE AS ANALYST FOR NBC SPORTS’ PGA TOUR COVERAGE AT COGNIZANT CLASSIC AT THE PALM BEACHES AND ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

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Winning European Ryder Cup Captain and Former World No. 1 Makes NBC Sports Debut Thursday on GOLF Channel and Peacock

STAMFORD, Conn. – February 25, 2024 – Winning European Ryder Cup captain and former World No. 1 player Luke Donald will serve as NBC Sports’ lead analyst for its coverage of the PGA TOUR Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches and the Arnold Palmer Invitational across NBC, GOLF Channel and Peacock.

Donald is a five-time winner on the PGA TOUR, including the 2006 edition of the Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches, formerly known as the Honda Classic. Most recently, Donald captained the 2023 European Ryder Cup team to victory against the American team at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club last fall.

“I love the game of golf so I’m so thankful to have been given this opportunity and chance to take on the role of lead analyst for NBC Sports over the next two weeks, combining my passion for the sport with my knowledge as a player to deliver inside-the-ropes insight to the national U.S. audience,” said Donald. “This is a significant opportunity for me, and I’m eager to bring my perspective to the coverage while, at the same time, learning from my fellow broadcast and production team members.”

“Luke certainly boasts impressive playing credentials as a former No. 1 player in the world,” said Tommy Roy, lead producer for NBC Sports’ golf coverage. “Beyond his play, I was impressed with how Luke excelled in the intense role of Ryder Cup captain last year, providing strong and thoughtful answers to the media throughout his press conferences and interviews. We think Luke will bring all of that to the broadcast booth and we look forward to him joining our team at PGA National and Bay Hill.”

Donald will make his debut this Thursday alongside the broadcast team of Dan Hicks, Brad Faxon, Curt Byrum, Steve Sands, John Wood, Smylie Kaufman and Damon Hack.

The Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches is the second of seven consecutive PGA TOUR events airing on NBC through early April, including next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 7-17) and The PLAYERS (March 14-17). Live coverage from PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., begins this Thursday, February 29, at 2 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel and Peacock.

–NBC SPORTS–

Chelsea-Liverpool in 2024 Carabao Cup Final; CONCACAF W Gold Cup; LALIGA; Bundesliga; and more on ESPN platforms this week

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Liverpool and Chelsea, two of the winningest clubs in the history of the EFL Cup (Carabao Cup), will meet in the 2024 final on Sunday, February 25, live from London’s Wembley Stadium, beginning at 10 a.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. Since the start of the competition in 1960, Liverpool FC has won the title nine times and four as a finalist. Chelsea has five titles and finished as runners-up four times.

The post Chelsea-Liverpool in 2024 Carabao Cup Final; CONCACAF W Gold Cup; LALIGA; Bundesliga; and more on ESPN platforms this week appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..

UFC Fight Night Presented by Bud Light: Moreno vs. Royval 2

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UFC returns to Mexico City with UFC Fight Night presented by Bud Light: Moreno vs. Royval 2 live from the Mexico City Arena on Saturday, Feb. 24. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET with the prelims starting at 7 p.m., both available on ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM Fight Nation.

The post UFC Fight Night Presented by Bud Light: Moreno vs. Royval 2 appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..