Sports Media News

Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases

RICK CORDELLA NAMED PRESIDENT OF NBC SPORTS

By Leave a Comment

NEW YORK – Sept. 22, 2023 – NBCUniversal is elevating veteran executive Rick Cordella to the role of President, NBC Sports, reporting into Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group.

In this role, Cordella will lead all aspects of NBC Sports’ collection of brands and platforms, which includes NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Digital and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. In addition, Cordella will work with NBC Local on the company’s Regional Sports Network strategy and will continue to oversee Sports on Peacock, home to the most live sports of any streamer.

“Rick has been at the epicenter of NBC Sports for years with a proven track record of growth and innovation across platforms, particularly our flagship NBC network as well as Peacock, where he helped architect our leadership role in sports and streaming,” Lazarus said. “Rick will oversee the evolution of our business as we continue to offer the best experiences and content to our viewers, as well as be the best partner to leagues and rights holders.”

Cordella has been at NBCU since 2006, serving in a variety of leadership roles. In 2022, Cordella was named President, Programming, NBC Sports and Peacock Sports, where he led NBCU’s sports programming strategy across broadcast, cable and streaming and oversaw sports betting, sports fantasy and related efforts.

Previously, Cordella, who was a member of the Peacock founding team, served as Peacock’s Chief Commercial Officer following a stint as Chief Revenue Officer. In these capacities, he oversaw programming, including entertainment, news, film and sports, channels and live events, ultimately contributing to record-breaking achievements in 2022, including the most-streamed Olympics and Super Bowl in history. He also held responsibilities spanning platform launch, content strategy, product, monetization efforts, editorial, standards and practices, and sports rights acquisition.

Prior to Peacock, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Digital Media, NBC Sports, overseeing all aspects of NBC Sports Digital: direct-to-consumer services, including NBC Sports Gold, NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, Rotoworld.com and ProFootballTalk.   Cordella was also a board member of FanDuel, representing NBC Sports’ investment in the daily fantasy and sports betting company.

A six-time Sports Emmy Award winner, Cordella previously served as General Manager, Fantasy Sports, where he managed NBC Sports’ fantasy sports properties, including Rotoworld.com, Allstarstats.com and Sandbox.com. He joined NBC Sports in 2006 with NBCUniversal’s acquisition of AllStar Stats, Inc., the parent company of Rotoworld.com.

Cordella graduated from Providence College and was a member of the Providence Friar men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 1997. He holds an MBA from Boston College.

TRANSCRIPT – NBC SPORTS RYDER CUP MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL

By Leave a Comment

Dan Hicks

Paul Azinger

Jim Gallagher Jr.

Curt Byrum

John Wood

THE MODERATOR: “Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for joining our NBC Sports Ryder Cup conference call. In a moment we’ll be joined by members of our Ryder Cup broadcast team, including Dan Hicks, who has called every Ryder Cup for NBC Sports since 1993; Paul Azinger, whose immense Ryder Cup accomplishments include his captaincy of the winning U.S. side in ’08 and playing as a member of the winning U.S. side in 1993 at The Belfry; Jim Gallagher Jr., who was also a member of that 1993 U.S. team; Curt Byrum, who has arguably called more live golf than anybody this year; and our on course reporter, John Wood, who has caddied in a number of Ryder Cups and international competition.

NBC Sports is going to have comprehensive live coverage of the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock beginning next Friday starting at 1:30 a.m. Eastern. We’ll surround the event with our critically acclaimed Golf Central Live from the Ryder Cup on Golf Channel and Peacock beginning September 25th at 9 a.m. Eastern.

We’ll start with some brief opening remarks from each of our speakers, starting with our lead play-by-play commentator, Dan Hicks.”

DAN HICKS: “Thank you very much. These things are always incredible. 15th Ryder Cup for me. Hard to believe. I’ve covered Zinger as a player, as captain, and now get a chance to sit with him as a broadcaster. Doesn’t get any better than that. I think he’s at his best for these for obvious reasons.

These things don’t get any better. They haven’t lost any juice throughout all the years. The longer I’m in this business, it’s clearer and clearer that the Ryder Cups stand alone for the energy, the spectacle, the visuals, highlight reel, the sheer power of it all.

I think the overriding theme, no doubt, to this one, and it is usually at every one at least that’s talked about – can the Americans win on the European soil? I think that’s the big story line that’s going to pervade throughout the week and the three days of competition.

30 years it’s been since ’93. Very first Ryder Cup I did was on the ground chasing around the captains Tom Watson and European captain Bernard Gallacher, that was 1993, Belfry, crazy. Zinger played on that team. Jim Gallagher played on that team. Raymond Floyd was on that team, I think he was 51 years old, he’s now 81, and he hasn’t seen a U.S. team win overseas since then.

The captain’s picks are a great pre-Ryder Cup theme. Did they get it right? It’s always talked about. Another big story line I believe this time around is Justin Thomas. Heart and soul of the team the past couple of times. His record speaks for itself. I think he’s 6-2-1 in those two appearances.

As everybody knows, he didn’t make the Playoffs. He was picked over several other higher-ranked players. I really believe that he faces the most pressure of any captain’s pick I can think of in recent memory.

He’s been playing better as of late. He proved that. But it will be something I think very closely watched, and we’ll be watching it as well. It’s just another reason why these Ryder Cups are so much fun.

Being in Rome, the Coliseum is 10 miles away, the “Gladiator” feel to it on the first tee. That’s appropriate.”

PAUL AZINGER: “Hey, Dan, that was a great synopsis of what we are looking forward to. I am appreciative of the broadcast team that we’ve put together here to cover this golf tournament, especially having Jim Gallagher on the press call is really fun for me, having been in the locker room with him at the Ryder Cup.

This is an emotional event for the players. It means the world to them. I think for Europe it’s immeasurable what it means for them to win the Ryder Cup. I think it’s more measurable for the Americans. I always feel that Europe should be the favorite in these events.

I just can’t wait to go to Rome. I’ve never been to Italy in my life. My wife and I are happy to spend a couple weeks over there.

Turn it over to Jim Gallagher.”

JIM GALLAGHER JR.: “Thanks, Zing. As you said, there’s nothing like the opening ceremonies when they start playing the national anthem and you get to represent your country.

I think for me, it hit me that I realize what have I gotten myself into. Just the whole week was magical. I think when you look at our team in ’93, you mentioned Raymond Floyd, 81 now, we had a great mix of veterans, guys like yourself, then the rookies, Lee Janzen won a U.S. Open, you have Davis Love, these were rookies but they really weren’t.

I think the biggest thing I took from that week was the Raymond Floyds, the Tom Kites, Payne Stewarts, the Lanny Wadkins. They put us all on an equal level, at least myself. That’s what was so magical bit.

I remember a couple things Tom Watson said. Always expect the unexpected. Your opponent might make a shot. Always expect them to do the unexpected things.

He said something to us Sunday, and I remember going out and playing Seve, which to me was the pinnacle of my golf. I remember coming home and seeing my daughter Mary Langdon with a T-shirt saying “My daddy beat Seve.” It took my confidence to a whole new level. It’s an experience I’ll always remember.

I don’t know if Zinger remembers, before we landed on the Concorde, he said, ‘They may have created the game over here, but we perfected it.’ I was ready to parachute off the plane, ready to go.

For both sides, it’s always a week they’ll always remember. It’s going to be so much fun going over there. My wife is going over to Rome. I’m looking forward to being on the call. 30 years is a long time, four kids and five grandkids since they’ve won over there in Europe for the U.S.

It’s going to be a magical week, and I’m looking forward to being on the call.”

CURT BYRUM: “Thanks. Along with these guys, I can’t wait to get over to Rome. It will be the fifth Ryder Cup for me. There’s nothing like it in golf. I think for me, anyway, it’s the best event to cover that you can from a TV side. There’s just so much energy.

I love the match play. I think it’s going to be another close match this time around. I don’t expect a blowout.

I think one of the factors that I’m looking at is whether playing your way into the Ryder Cup week, like most of the Europeans are doing right now, 7 out of the 10 that played last week at the BMW PGA finished inside the top 10. A couple of those guys are playing again this week in France. They’ve been playing events leading up to it, whereas most of the Americans have taken time off since THE TOUR Championship. A lot of rest for them. Only a couple guys played last week. I think Brooks is playing this week on LIV.

Will it be better to have the rest coming into the Ryder Cup or will it be better to play your way into form like the Europeans are doing right now? Considering how hilly the golf course is, how much it’s going to take stamina-wise, I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how that part of it plays out.

If somebody plays all five matches, I think it’s going to be tough on ’em. I think there’s going to be a lot up to the captains to make decisions on players.”

JOHN WOOD: “Anyone who knows me knows this is my favorite event ever. You make one Ryder Cup team, you never want to miss another one. It kills you when you’re not there after you know what it’s like.

The relationships you get to form those weeks, the time you spend with people, you just don’t get to do it the other 51 weeks of the year. It’s such a unique event in that aspect.

The only tournament I am ever nervous on a Tuesday. I mean, Tuesday, you get out there on Tuesday or Wednesday to play your first practice round, and it’s 10 deep on the 1st hole. You’re going, What is going on? Similar to what Jim said, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’

There’s some unique challenges as a caddie that you don’t experience at any other event than at the Ryder Cup. Even The Presidents Cup, you don’t face these things. The Ryder Cup is so special, so much pressure, and it’s so much fun pressure that it’s so unique.

When I’m all done with golf, retired completely, those are the weeks I will remember more than any others.”

Jim and Paul, playing on that ’93 team, thinking there hasn’t been a U.S. victory on European soil since, what is the best explanation for that?

JIM GALLAGHER JR.: “If we had the explanation…”

PAUL AZINGER: “I don’t think there is a true explanation for it. However, I do believe that there is something magical about being on your home soil that Europe has really been able to take advantage of through the years, a lot of it by course setup.

This particular course can be manipulated quite a bit. I feel like the chance for Europe to increase their home-field advantage is pretty great.

I, apparently, according to Kerry Haigh, was the first American captain to every ask to control the course, and that was 2008. I just read today where Europe has been doing it since the ’50s. I know Tony has been doing it, did it in the beginning.

Maybe the home-field advantage, part of it could be that the home-field captain does now take control of the course. That’s a big part of it.

I think that’s a big part of the reason really. Pretty simple, that Europe has been able to have a little bit of an edge.”

JIM GALLAGHER JR.: “Like any other sport, when you’re playing at home, you have the home crowd behind you. It’s unnerving when you hit a good shot, you hole out of the shot, you’re the visiting team or visiting player, and they cheer only for bad shots. They don’t cheer for the good shots. That gets a little unnerving, especially for someone that’s a rookie.

Like Paul said, I think the course setup has been a big key to their success. The U.S. has gotten better, they weren’t the tightest knit team. I think the pressure for the U.S. knowing it’s been that long. That starts to seep in eventually, and you have to somehow go out there and you have to make the putts. It gets down to making the putts at the right time. They get the momentum going on their side for the European time, they make the putts at the right time.”

Paul and Jim, a little bit deeper there. You talk about home-field advantage, the course setup. What are some of the other challenges that the American team faces when they go on European soil?

PAUL AZINGER: “Time zone change is a part of it. Just getting acclimated is something of a factor. The Europeans, I don’t think they have quite as much of an issue getting acclimated over here.

Let’s face it, they’ve played great, too. You can’t dispute the clutch plays that they make at the right time. You can never take away.

But I always looked at the Ryder Cup, in my generation, my era, as being razor thin. I would compare it to being in Vegas. There’s only a 1% advantage in blackjack, but they’re building some pretty nice hotels on it. A 1% edge, you can give Europe that 1% edge, you can give them a one and a half percent advantage before we tee it up for a multitude of reasons. They’re bonded by nationality over there. The Englishmen play together, the Irishmen, the Spaniards. I think it’s immeasurable what it means to them.

I think Americans, we can quantify it. I think for them they can’t even quantify it. It’s a big deal to us, too, don’t get me wrong. It gives them a 1% advantage, I think, all that. Woody”

JOHN WOOD: “This is probably not going to be the most popular opinion in the world. But in my experience, the Europeans outwork us on the putting greens during the practice rounds. They play extremely slowly. We’ve been behind them. We played behind them before. It’s just extremely slow.

If you watch them, it’s a very, very disciplined approach. They work hole locations together with their partners during the practice rounds. The two caddies, the two players, they’ll all work it together. Once they get into the tournament, they’ve got all those putts read. We’re sitting there surprised they make everything.

I think there’s something to do with their preparation. I just think it goes deeper. I think they have a routine that is better for figuring out putts. When you watch the Ryder Cup sometimes, the Americans, when they call their partner in or a partner’s caddie in, it looks a little awkward at times. It’s not very succinct, streamlined. They don’t read putts with somebody all year long and all of a sudden they’re doing it.

I think the Europeans, I don’t know what it is, I’m not saying I know exactly what the thing is, but I think they have a better way to figure out how to putt. I also think they have a theory on the greens, even around the green. Everyone, to a man, I think tells each other the next one doesn’t matter. I don’t care, it’s going to matter probably. I think they go into those putts and those chips thinking the next one doesn’t matter. If you leave your partner with a tough one, so be it.

You watch guys like Colin Montgomerie, Sergio, guys over the years who have been good putters, but in Ryder Cups they become great putters.

Those are just something that I thought of for a while. I don’t know if it’s right, just my opinion, a theory that I go with.”

JIM GALLAGHER JR.: “I’d have to agree with that, too. I think they also took the underdog role whether they were or not. In match play if — the only thing that really matters in everything is that you believe you can beat the other person or the other team. As soon as that other team thinks that you can beat them or they can beat you, that helps.

I think they’ve taken that to heart, too. They’ve convinced themselves that they are as good. It’s like Zinger said, they’re playing great. I think their teams over the years have really changed. World Golf, you look at the way the game has changed. These guys have prepared just as much as the Americans. I think both sides it want it equally as much. I think it comes down to they’ve taken a little bit different approach.

I’ve never thought about that with preparation with putting. Maybe that’s it. It gets down to making the putt at the right time, and they’ve been able to do that over there.”

Jim, which daughter was wearing the “My dad Seve” T-shirt?

JIM GALLAGHER JR.: “That was my oldest, Mary Langdon. Cissye was actually pregnant with Thomas when she went over there. When I won THE TOUR Championship about a month or so later, she had the T-shirt, ‘My daddy beat ’em all.’ It was really kind of a cool thing.

I remember when I first made that team, it was announced, we had a Skins Game back in Indiana, they announced me as a member of the ’93 Ryder Cup team. A couple things I’ll always remember.

It was always cool to see my little girl with the T-shirt “My dad beat Seve.” That’s when it hit me.”

What club was that you were playing there?

JIM GALLAGHER JR.: “It was Meshingomesia in Marion, Indiana. My dad was a pro there for 45 years. We had the Skins Game there.

When I got home after we won, I saw Mary Langdon in that same little shirt, it was priceless. It’s one of those moments you always cherish. Your families sacrifice so much with us being gone. For them to be part of that, even though she wasn’t there, now she’s 30, 31 years old, it’s something I’ll always remember.”

Dan, I’m curious if you have any reaction to Stacy Lewis’s comments about the lack of collaboration right now between the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, which is beginning tomorrow?

DAN HICKS: “You know, I don’t. I just saw that briefly. What did she say exactly?”

She felt like there could be more marketing done together between the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup, especially with both being played weeks apart in Europe.

DAN HICKS: “Yeah, I don’t know specifically what she had in mind. I think the Solheim Cup has gotten so big in its own right. I don’t know what kind of help is needs from Ryder Cup.

I absolutely love the Solheim Cup. It’s a lot of Cups in two weeks, back to back. Maybe there should be, just reading between the lines, some sort of scheduling situation where maybe the Solheim Cup gets a little bit more of a spotlight rather than being right before the Ryder Cup.

I don’t know. If I’m a fan and I’ve got two weekends in a row of Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup, there’s pretty good golf there, even it’s amidst the football season and something both Cups fight.

I think the Solheim Cup is so big it stands on its own. I’m not sure exactly the details of what Stacy is talking about. I’d love to hear ’em. But that’s my initial reaction to that.”

Paul, do you think there should be any concern for the future operations of the Ryder Cup, the European operations, I should say, given what could happen with this pending deal between the PGA TOUR, European Tour and Saudis?

PAUL AZINGER: “That is miles above my pay grade. I appreciate the question, but I just have to abstain from that one. I wouldn’t know how to answer it.”

Zing, if you didn’t like that last question, you’re going to hate this one. Do you ever see Phil Mickelson becoming a Ryder Cup captain?

PAUL AZINGER: “Well, that’s another question I would just rather not answer. I’m going to stay away from it. I’m hired to call live golf and I love calling live golf. When it comes to opinion about what we’re about to see, that’s my job, and I’m going to stick to it. I appreciate you trying.”

How much do you think it hurts the European side that they won’t have Sergio, Ian Poulter and some of those guys involved in the team as team members or in the team room?

PAUL AZINGER: “First of all, I think that the team dynamic and the team environment in the European room will be unfazed. Just like when Jack wasn’t there anymore or when Arnold wasn’t there anymore, some of us guys aren’t there anymore, I think that team atmosphere in that locker room will be every bit as good if not better. It will be ripe and ready to go.

Those guys, they’re on a mission. Luke Donald has a controversial pick on his plate, as well. We’ll see what happens. Both captains took a risk in the way they picked their teams. That is compelling. That’s it.”

CURT BYRUM: “I think Paul is right. I think all they’re going to be talking about in the team rooms is about the players that are there, and rallying around everybody that’s in that team room. They’re not going to be even talking about who’s not there. I think both sides will carry it on like that.”

PAUL AZINGER: “I’m going to say both teams are going to kind of rally around their captains and the guys that were the risky picks. But the European locker room will be totally unfazed.”

Which team do you think faces more pressure? The Euros kind of got blown out last time. They’re trying to bring in some youth and different players now. Americans haven’t won in so long on European soil.

DAN HICKS: “I think the U.S. has more pressure because they haven’t won over there in 30 years. They apparently have the superior team, even though, Zing, you’ll agree, from the top half of the European team is as good or certainly better, higher ranked than the U.S. team.

I think the overriding theme to the whole thing is the U.S. hasn’t won over there in 30 years. I think Jim Gallagher alluded to it earlier. That’s become a pressure thing.

I think getting it done on foreign soil is tough anyway, as Zing said. The more this streak compiles decade after decade after decade, I think the Americans know that they’re expected to win, but they haven’t done it in 30 years. I think that is definitely a tougher situation to be in than Europe, even though Europe has some new players and the U.S. has some new players. I think they kind of offset each other in that regard as a wash.

I think it becomes you haven’t done something in 30 years, you’ve got the better players in the world, you’ve proven that through the years, you haven’t gotten it done over there.”

PAUL AZINGER: “I totally agree with that. I agree with Curt Byrum as well, about the American team, the European team, one team coming in fresh, another team coming in having played. It’s going to be close, I believe. Very, very close. Hopefully it will be one of the closest ones we’ve seen in a long, long time.”

Dan, you’re stuck with me on this one. It’s probably going to be a little bit convoluted so bear with me. You get ready to have a winner at the U.S. Open, at the British Open, you kind of have time to prepare your calls. How difficult is it in the Ryder Cup when things can be moving so quickly from a broadcasting standpoint? Secondly, we’ve had a couple matches where it’s a little bit kind of confusing who actually gets the clinching point. I think we had it at Oakland Hills with Monty back in ’04, definitely with Sergio and Francesco in France. It almost looks like we get the point depending on what gets shown on TV. How do you keep track of that in real-time?

DAN HICKS: “I’ll address the latest question because it’s easier to remember.

We’ve got not only Tommy Roy in the truck, but we’ve got a guy by the name of Tom Randolph who is unbelievable in there. I’ll tell you what, covering golf is hard enough in a regular stroke play event week to week, keeping track of where you need to be, try to be live the most you can possibly be.

Match play is a different animal because it’s happening all over the course. In this case, just four matches at the most, but in singles matches it’s 12. Being at the right place, being there live. Our goal obviously is to every time be there when the Ryder Cup is clinched, be there in a live situation.

Now, there’s been some conversations through the years as to, Okay, a match is tied, so it guarantees a half point, but it’s never official until the match is over. You can kind of get hung up in the technicality as long as there’s no other things outside of the match that’s going to turn it around or give another guy a point on a hole or something that hasn’t been told in the match yet as far as the outcome of it. In other words, it’s never official till it’s over.

Sometimes we have to be careful of that. But we qualify that I think through the years. I think it’s pretty clear, if you just kind of — having said all that, if you get to a match and you know a tie guarantees a half point, that gets you to, in this case the Americans, a 14-point total, then you can say it.

I don’t know if that answers the question, but it might be part of that technicality that I was talking about.

The first part of the question. Yeah, it’s a totally different kind of tournament, stroke play, major open, U.S. Open, whatever, versus a Ryder Cup. The thing about a Ryder Cup, you don’t have to do too much outside of just doing what I described: be there at the right time, let it breathe. The images and the video at a Ryder Cup tell it all. You say less at a Ryder Cup than you do at any other stroke play event.

The pictures speak for themselves. The only thing I would say is if you have a chance to know that if a certain individual is going to clinch the Ryder Cup, what it might mean to him and his career, you can kind of tell the story of that said individual, if you can.

A lot of times it’s happening so quickly down the stretch that all you have time to do, the biggest thing, my biggest responsibility, our truck’s biggest responsibility, is to be there when the Cup is clinched. It’s tricky. It’s the toughest thing in golf to do. We’ve done a pretty good job with it through the years, I would think.”

Are you going to say tied or halves?

DAN HICKS: “Tied. That’s the lingo and the vernacular now. After 100 years the other way, that’s the way we do it now. That’s the way we do it, yep, tied.”

Dan and Paul, I’m not sure how much golf is shown on your monitors when you are in commercial normally and how much you watch it. When you’re in a break, how much are you just sitting there looking at what’s transpiring? Separately for John Wood, when a session seems to be going one way, how do you keep your player on track to make sure they do their job to get that point?

DAN HICKS: “Yeah, there’s a lot to keep track of, especially when it gets down to Sunday singles as I just described. You have to be at the right place at the right time. I’m constantly figuring out, along with the rest of our team during commercial breaks, there’s not a lot of time to talk, we brainstorm and we say, All right, let’s just take a look at the board here. What has to happen here.

That’s the most important thing that I can do, is to give everybody a sense of who is really leading here and who is really got the advantage. That’s why from time to time you’ll see us go to the big board and say, Let’s take a breath and let’s take a look at we’ve got the U.S. leading in four matches, Europe is leading in three, the rest are tied. You have to go through some scenarios to give the audience a chance to kind of anticipate what’s going to happen.

That needs to be spoken as clearly as you possibly can. It’s not easy to do. That’s pretty much my responsibilities. I’ll be looking at the matches. We’ll have some of the matches up during a break where we can kind of get a feel for how they’re going. The guys in the truck are constantly relaying to us, Matt Fitzpatrick is up on Scottie Scheffler, whatever. He has a putt here. He missed it. This is maybe during a break. They’re constantly reminding us of scenarios and things out there that are ongoing to add to the big picture of it all.

It’s a lot of fun because it’s fun kind of trying to keep track of it all, then trying to relay it in as concise and clear manner as you possibly can.”

PAUL AZINGER: That is so good. I’ll add to that that what we try to do is as many shots live as possible that we’ve never seen before. What Dan might get in his ear, I won’t get much of that. I almost never know what’s happened on the course.

All those numbers and that sort of thing, that’s not really my job. As a captain, I can see that, we can read into it pretty quickly. Dan’s job is to articulate to the viewer. My job is to be on the live golf, the emotion of what’s going on there.

The key here at NBC is we’re going to show more live shots than anybody. There are times when you have to wrap it up, catch up, I mean…I’ve seen one shot in my career that I can recall sitting in the 18th tower. But generally my monitors don’t show much (beyond live golf) unless we’re playing through, then we sit there and watch it.

We’re trying to do it live as much as I can from my perspective. It’s hot. It’s a hot take that’s live. We’re not calling shots on tape.”

JOHN WOOD: “In terms of individual sessions as a caddie, when you see your team going down, each one of those sessions, it feels like waves of momentum. The first five holes go one way, then the next four holes go a separate way.

You always watch the board, you always do in a Ryder Cup, it’s natural, but if it’s getting away from you, if it feels like all of a sudden you have four blue numbers up there that are American. What I would try to do is remind my player there’s a lot of holes left. It’s a lot closer than it looks.

You look up at the scoreboard, when you see one color, it looks like a blowout. They might all be one up. It’s not like they’re huge leads. You just remind them of that. If you’re well down, you get into a space and tell them. He knows it’s important, but it might be more important now that everybody else is losing.

At the same time if everybody’s winning, it kind of takes a little pressure off you. You play freer, everybody is winning, I’m going to go too and win this thing.

A lot of it is the colors on the scoreboard. They just tell a huge story. It’s amazing how often, if let’s say the European team gets off to a great start on Friday, there’s four blue numbers up there early on through five holes, if all of a sudden seven holes later they’re all tied, all matches are tied, but it feels like as an American all of a sudden you’ve got the momentum because you tied everything up, you were down in all of them.

It’s always waves of momentum. You just really have to make sure your player stays focused on what he’s trying to do, and that’s just playing golf. It certainly influences your mood out there.”

Paul, you’ve touched on the U.S. coming in probably not playing as much. I’m curious,”in your experience at the Ryder Cup, would you use practice rounds to actually have guys play matches and to try to sharpen up that way, or is it an event where you just kind of really want to get comfortable with the course and ease into the week? Seems like it’s kind of an important situation for the U.S. this year. Any thoughts on that would be great.

PAUL AZINGER: “Curt brought up the fact that the U.S. players hadn’t really been playing a whole lot and Europe is coming in playing, that the golf course was hilly. It might be a bit of an endurance test.

When it comes to preparation, it depends. If you’re just getting there and you haven’t seen it, maybe just a handful of our guys or less, they’re going to be cramming for finals. They’ve got to know the course.

The key to winning Ryder Cup always, I don’t ever believe there’s been a shortcut to it, you have to get the right players there, but you have to out-prepare the other team. Knowing the course is the key to that.

Who you’re going to play with is very important ahead of time. That’s what I believe. I got stuck about three times in my Ryder Cup experience playing with a guy that I never even played a practice round with. I wanted to put an end to that with my team, for sure.

Practice rounds are critical. If you know the course, you can kick back a little. If you don’t, man, it’s a panic mode to understand the course. You have to feel like you out-prepared the other guy, maybe even if you haven’t. That’s the key to that whole thing”

JOHN WOOD: “The only thing I would add to that is I think it is important to play some matches, especially alternate shot, for two reasons. If you’re just playing a practice round, you don’t really notice the fine details. If you’re playing for a dollar, all of a sudden you might notice something that you didn’t know was going to happen. You don’t want to get out there on Friday and not have your routine down.

Am I going to call this guy in to read putts with me? Am I going to stick on my own unless I want his opinion? What does he want for this shot, this approach shot on this hole? In my mind, I see driver all day long, I’m going to bust it down there. He might say, I like it back here and here’s why.

I think it’s important to play those games so you’re really trying to play for something. You always realize one or two things that are going to help you during the matches.”

John, do you remember any examples seeing that or experiencing that?

JOHN WOOD: “Certainly. We played with Steve Stricker once, Hunter (Mahan) was playing with Steve Stricker. We were of a mind on par 5s especially if you couldn’t get there, let’s try and leave ourselves a number, whether it was 85, lob wedge, or you wanted to hit something with a little less spin, leave it back a little bit.

We called them over on one of the par 5s in a practice round, What do you like here? He looked completely confused, like, What are you talking about? He said, Just get it as close to the hole as you can, I don’t care where it is, if it’s in the rough or the bunker or the fairway or behind the tree, get it as close as you can to the hole, I’ll figure it out from there.

It wouldn’t have been Hunter’s style at all to play that way. Playing a practice round with Steve, that was the way he wanted it. When we had to make the decision in the tournament, it made it a lot easier to make.”

I want to ask Jim and Paul if you could both, in your opinion, how does the Ryder Cup feel now, whether it’s from fans, grandstands, media interest, the gravitas of the event? How does it feel now compared to when you were both playing?

JIM GALLAGHER JR.: “I think for me as a player, my wife was telling me, I was telling her when we went to Gleneagles, I did the Live From there, and I hadn’t been to one for years. She said, ‘It was just as big, you just didn’t pay attention to it because you were so focused on playing.’

I think it’s even bigger. The grandstands are bigger. Just the whole atmosphere has changed. It was there obviously, being over there, they were pulling for the European side. I think everything is bigger from that part.

I think the pressure is amped up now, especially as we mentioned the U.S. not winning for 30 years. I think the atmosphere is amped up to a whole ‘nother level. There’s music, more things going on. I just think to me it’s gotten bigger and bigger.

Even the non-golf fan watches the Ryder Cup now probably even more. I think from that point, all these guys have mentioned, it’s the greatest thing we get to be part of playing. Now calling the shots, everyone talks about it whether they’re a true golf fan or non-golf fan, even though we’re in the middle of football season. It’s a whole new level on my perspective.”

PAUL AZINGER: I would agree. I think it’s 10 times what it was. In ’91, there weren’t even grandstands behind the bleachers. Actually in ’91, the president of NBC was wondering why it was on his TV with some of the stories. If you dug deep, you could find out how that whole thing evolved, how Kiawah was positioned, and all of a sudden TV had to have it. I’m not going to get into the details, I don’t know them all.

Since then, oh my gosh, even since ’08, our grandstands were enormous. By the standard they are now, it’s not even close. That was just 15 years ago. It is just a massive event. It’s one of those things the players target. It’s not an exhibition anymore. We’ll just say that. It hasn’t been really since about probably ’83.”

–NBC SPORTS–

NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 12 AND SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL FROM L.A. COLISEUM HEADLINE MOTORSPORTS ACROSS USA NETWORK & PEACOCK

By Leave a Comment

Countdown to Green Pre-Race Coverage Gets Underway Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network Leading into Green Flag at Texas at 3:30 p.m. ET

NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs Begin Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network; Countdown to Green Presented at 3 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 21, 2023 – The 2023 NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series Playoffs head to Texas Motor Speedway and the SuperMotocross World Championship Final takes place at L.A. Coliseum, headlining this weekend’s motorsports coverage across USA Network and Peacock.

NASCAR: CUP SERIES AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500 & XFINITY SERIES ANDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD 300

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 begins this Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Denny Hamlin won last week’s Cup Series race in Bristol.

2023 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS ROUND OF 12

Driver Points
William Byron 3036
Martin Truex Jr. 3036
Denny Hamlin 3032
Kyle Larson 3023
Chris Buescher 3021
Kyle Busch 3019
Christopher Bell 3016
Tyler Reddick 3014
Ross Chastain 3011
Brad Keselowski 3011
Ryan Blaney 3008
Bubba Wallace 3000

Coverage of the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 in Texas will be presented Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network with Countdown to Green beginning pre-race coverage at 3 p.m. ET. NASCAR America post-race coverage will immediately follow the checkered flag at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock.

The Xfinity Series Playoffs begin Saturday with the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, with Countdown to Green getting underway at 3 p.m. ET.

Two-time Daytona 500 Champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte will serve as analysts for the Cup Series and Xfinity Series races from Texas Motor Speedway with lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen. Marty Snider, Dave Burns and Kim Coon will serve as pit reporters this weekend.

Snider will anchor pre- and post-race studio coverage with racing icon Kyle Petty and JTG Daugherty Racing team owner Brad Daugherty on Sunday from the Peacock Pit Box.

Burton (1997, 2007) and Earnhardt Jr. (2000) own Cup Series victories at Texas.

The official home of the NASCAR Championship and Playoffs, NBC Sports will once again present the final 20 NASCAR Cup Series races and 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2023 across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, culminating with the Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 4-5.

BROADCAST TEAM

    • Analysts: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
    • Play by Play: Rick Allen
    • Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Kim Coon

STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM

    • Host: Marty Snider
    • Analysts:Kyle Petty, Brad Daugherty

HOW TO WATCH

    • TV – USA Network
    • Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
Date Coverage Platform Time (ET)
Sat., Sept. 23 NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice & Qualifying NBCSports.com,
NBC Sports app		 10:30 a.m.
  NASCAR Cup Series Practice & Qualifying USA Network 12:30 p.m.
  Countdown to Green – NASCAR Xfinity Series USA Network 3 p.m.
  NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 USA Network 3:30 p.m.
  NASCAR America Post-Race – NASCAR Xfinity Series USA Network 6:30 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 24 Countdown to Green – NASCAR Cup Series USA Network 3 p.m.
  NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 USA Network 3:30 p.m.
  NASCAR America Post-Race – NASCAR Cup Series USA Network, Peacock 7 p.m.

 

SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

The first-ever SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs conclude this Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock with the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship Final from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif. An exclusive Peacock pre-game show begins at 9:30 p.m. ET.

In the 450 class, Chase Sexton leads last week’s overall winner Jett Lawrence by two points and both racers enter the finale in a winner-take-all scenario for the premier class championship. Ken Roczen (3rd), Aaron Plessinger (4th), and Dylan Ferrandis (5th) also have a chance to win the title.

In the 250 class it is another winner-take-all situation as Chicagoland winner Hunter Lawrence leads Jo Shimoda and Haiden Deegan. Whomever finishes in front of the other two will become the first-ever 250 SMX World Champion.

Leigh Diffey will handle play-by-play alongside two motorsports icons in seven-time AMA Motocross Premier Class champion and five-time AMA Supercross Premier Class champion Ricky Carmichael and two-time AMA Supercross Premier Class 450 champion and 2008 Pro Motocross champion James Stewart.

Jason Thomas, Will Christien, and Todd Harris will serve as reporters.

BROADCAST TEAM

    • Play by Play: Leigh Diffey
    • Analyst: Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart
    • Reporters: Jason Thomas, Will Christien
    • Host Desk: Todd Harris, Jason Weigandt

 

Date Coverage Platform Time (ET)
Sat., Sept. 23 Race Day Live Peacock 4:30 p.m.
  SuperMotocross World Championship Final Pre-Race Peacock 9:30 p.m.
  SuperMotocross World Championship Final USA Network, Peacock 10 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 24 SuperMotocross World Championship Final NBC 4 p.m.*
Mon., Sept. 25 SuperMotocross World Championship Final CNBC 1 a.m.*

*Encore coverage

MOTOGP: INDIANOIL GRAND PRIX OF INDIA

MotoGP travels to India for the inaugural IndianOil Grand Prix of India at Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida this at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Francesco Bagnaia (283 points) sits atop the MotoGP points leaderboard, followed by last race-winner Jorge Martin (247 points) in second and Marco Bezzecchi (218 points) in third.

–NBC SPORTS–

ARSENAL HOST TOTTENHAM IN NORTH LONDON DERBY THIS SUNDAY, SEPT. 24, AT 9 A.M. ET EXCLUSIVELY ON PEACOCK

By Leave a Comment

Everton Visit Brentford this Saturday, Sept. 23, at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo

Erling Haaland and First-Place Manchester City Host Nottingham Forest Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on USA Network and Universo

Goal Rush Whip-Around Show Streams Live on Peacock this Saturday During 10 a.m. ET Multi-Match Window

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 21, 2023 – Peacock presents exclusive coverage of the North London Derby this Sunday, Sept. 24, at 9 a.m. ET, as Bukayo Saka and Arsenal host Heung-min Son and Tottenham in a meeting of unbeaten teams looking to reach the top of the Premier League table, headlining Premier League action across NBC Sports this weekend..

Spurs are second in the Premier League, coming off a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory against Sheffield United, as Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski scored late in stoppage time to remain unbeaten. Arsenal currently sit fourth in the Premier League and are coming off a 1-0 victory over Everton. Jon Champion and Graeme Le Saux will call Arsenal v. Tottenham from Emirates Stadium. Peacock will also present the Arsenal-Tottenham match live in Spanish.

This week’s coverage also features Brentford v. Everton on NBC, Peacock, and Universo this Saturday, Sept. 23, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Brentford suffered their first defeat of the season last week, a 1-0 loss to Newcastle. Everton are still in search of their first win of the season and fell 1-0 to Arsenal last week. Peter Drury and Graeme Le Saux will call the match live from Gtech Community Stadium.

Coverage this weekend begins on Saturday with Premier League Mornings at 9:30 a.m. ET on USA Network, leading into Erling Haaland and first-place Manchester City hosting Nottingham Forest at 10 a.m. ET on USA Network and Universo.

In addition to Manchester City v. Nottingham Forest, Peacock will present both Crystal Palace v. Fulham and Luton Town v. Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. The Goal Rush whip-around show will stream live on Peacock at 10 a.m. ET, providing viewers the most compelling action in real time and on replay so they won’t miss a single goal or key play. Saturday’s coverage on Peacock continues at 3 p.m. ET with Burnley v. Manchester United.

Sunday’s coverage begins at 8 a.m. ET with Premier League Mornings on USA Network, followed by Brighton & Hove Albion v. Bournemouth at 9 a.m. ET on USA Network and Telemundo. The Sunday 9 a.m. ET window will also feature Chelsea v. Aston Villa (Peacock), Liverpool v. West Ham (Peacock), and the aforementioned North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham (Peacock). At 11:30 a.m. ET, Sheffield United look for their first victory of the season against Newcastle (USA Network, Telemundo).

Rebecca Lowe hosts Saturday and Sunday’s Premier League Mornings, Premier League Live and Goal Zone shows alongside former Jamaica National Team and Premier League player Robbie Earle and former USMNT and Premier League player Tim Howard.

Throughout the 2023-24 season, Premier League coverage will be featured across NBC, Peacock and USA Network. Peacock continues its expansive coverage of the Premier League this season — including exclusive matches, all games airing live on the NBC broadcast network, studio shows, full match replays, and more. USA Network begins its second full season as the cable home of the PL. Telemundo, Universo and Peacock will provide extensive Spanish-language coverage.

THE 2 ROBBIES PODCAST

Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe discuss and dissect the top Premier League storylines after every matchweek on “The 2 Robbies” podcast. On the most recent episode, Earle and Mustoe discuss each match from the past weekend, Manchester United’s 3-1 loss at home to Brighton, Tottenham’s late comeback win against Sheffield United, and Manchester City’s three second-half goals v. West Ham.

Click here to listen to the podcast or click here to watch on YouTube.

STREAMING ON PEACOCK

Peacock’s expansive programming offers the most live sports of any streamer service in the United States, including live coverage of the Premier League, FIFA Women’s and Men’s World CupTM (in Spanish), U.S. Women’s and Men’s National Teams soccer matches (in Spanish), Sunday Night Football, Big Ten football (beginning in September), Olympic Games, MLB Sunday Leadoff, Notre Dame Football, NASCAR, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and much more.  Peacock also offers daily sports programming on the NBC Sports channel.

To learn more about how to watch Premier League on Peacock and how to sign up visit peacocktv.com/sports/premier-league.

Premier League games on NBC and USA Network will be streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via authentication, giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcasts. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.

Following is NBC Sports’ schedule for the first weekend of Premier League coverage (all times ET, subject to change):

Date Time (ET) Match Platform
Sat., Sept. 23 9:30 a.m. Premier League Mornings USA Network
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m. Manchester City v. Nottingham Forest USA Network, Universo
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m. Crystal Palace v. Fulham Peacock
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m. Luton Town v. Wolverhampton Wanderers Peacock
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m. Goal Rush Peacock
Sat., Sept. 23 12:30 p.m. Brentford v. Everton NBC, Peacock, Universo
Sat., Sept. 23 3 p.m. Burnley v. Manchester United Peacock
Sat., Sept. 23 5 p.m. Goal Zone Peacock
Sun., Sept. 24 8 a.m. Premier League Mornings USA Network
Sun., Sept. 24 9 a.m. Brighton & Hove Albion v. Bournemouth USA Network, Telemundo
Sun., Sept. 24 9 a.m. Arsenal v. Tottenham Peacock
Sun., Sept. 24 9 a.m. Liverpool v. West Ham Peacock
Sun., Sept. 24 9 a.m. Chelsea v. Aston Villa Peacock
Sun., Sept. 24 11:30 a.m. Sheffield United v. Newcastle USA Network, Telemundo
Sun., Sept. 24 1:30 p.m. Goal Zone USA Network

 

–NBC SPORTS–

2023 SOLHEIM CUP FROM FINCA CORTESIN IN SPAIN HEADLINES LIVE GOLF COVERAGE THIS WEEK ON GOLF CHANNEL AND PEACOCK

By Leave a Comment

Biennial Solheim Cup Featuring Top Players in Women’s Golf Representing the U.S. and Europe – NBC Sports Presents 25+ Hours of Live Coverage on GOLF Channel and Peacock

“Uninterrupted Coverage Presented by KPMG” – Sunday’s Singles Matches Feature Commercial-Free Hour on GOLF Channel and Peacock

World Golf Hall of Famers Judy Rankin and Juli Inkster Headline NBC Sports’ Solheim Cup Broadcast Team

Coverage Includes PGA TOUR Champions Pure Insurance Open at Pebble Beach, Korn Ferry Tour Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship and DP World Tour Cazoo Open de France

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 21, 2023 – NBC Sports presents live coverage of the 18th Solheim Cup, featuring the top women’s golfers from the United States and Europe, this Friday through Sunday, headlining live golf coverage this week on GOLF Channel and Peacock.

LPGA TOUR & LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR: SOLHEIM CUP

The biennial Solheim Cup will be held in Spain for the first time at Finca Cortesin in the Andalucia region of Spain, as the Americans look to avenge a 15-13 loss to the Europeans in the 2021 Solheim Cup at The Inverness Club. The event consists of 28 matches over three days, and Europe has a 5-3 record as the host country, winning at home most recently in 2019 at Gleneagles in Scotland.

Six members of the United States team have won major championships, including Lilia Vu, who won the 2023 Chevron Championship and 2023 AIG Women’s Open; Allisen Corpuz, who won the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open; and Nelly Korda, Olympic gold medalist and winner of the 2021 KPGA Women’s PGA Championship. The U.S. team is captained by Stacy Lewis, a veteran of four Solheim Cup teams.

Eight members of the winning 2021 European team return this year, including Celine Boutier, Charley Hull and Leona Maguire. The squad is led by two-time major champion Suzann Pettersen, who played in nine Solheim Cups

The Solheim Cup Opening Ceremony will be shown live on Thursday’s edition of Golf Today beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on GOLF Channel. Live pre-game coverage will air Friday at 1:30 a.m. ET and Sunday at 4 a.m. ET, leading into the final singles matches.

NBC Sports’ broadcast team includes a pair of World Golf Hall of Famers in Judy Rankin, who twice captained the Americans to victory in 1996 and 1998, and Juli Inkster, who played in nine Solheim Cups and has the most wins by any American in Solheim Cup history.

Sunday’s presentation of the singles matches on GOLF Channel and Peacock will feature Uninterrupted Coverage presented by KPMG, going commercial-free for an hour once all 12 singles matches are on the course to provide maximum coverage while the most action is ongoing. KPMG will have branded graphics and mentions as the presenting sponsor of Sunday’s Uninterrupted Coverage.

GOLF Channel Broadcast Team

    • Play by Play: Terry Gannon / Grant Boone
    • Analyst: Judy Rankin / Juli Inkster
    • Holes: Tom Abbott
    • On-Course: Karen Stupples / Kay Cockerill / John Wood
    • Golf Central Reports: Cara Banks / Paige Mackenzie / Amy Rogers

How To Watch – Friday, September 22 – Sunday, September 24 (all times ET)

    • TV – GOLF Channel
    • Streaming – Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
Date GOLF Channel/Peacock
Saturday 2 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sunday 2 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Monday 5-11 a.m.

 

2023 SOLHEIM CUP TEAMS
UNITED STATES EUROPE
Captain – Stacy Lewis Captain – Suzann Pettersen
Vice Captains – Angela Stanford, Morgan Pressel, Natalie Gulbis Vice Captains – Laura Davies, Caroline Martens, Anna Nordqvist
Lilia Vu Celine Boutier
Nelly Korda Maja Stark
Allisen Corpuz Charley Hull
Megan Khang Leona Maguire
Jennifer Kupcho Georgia Hall
Danielle Kang Linn Grant
Andrea Lee Carlota Ciganda
Lexi Thompson Anna Nordqvist
Rose Zhang Madelene Sagstrom
Angel Yin Gemma Dryburgh
Ally Ewing Emily Kristine Pedersen
Cheyenne Knight Caroline Hedwall

 

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS: PURE INSURANCE OPEN

This week’s PGA TOUR Champions event at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course features a Pro-Junior tournament with junior players from the First Tee organization competing alongside players from PGA TOUR Champions. Steve Flesch is defending champion of the event.

How To Watch – Thursday, September 21 – Sunday, September 24 (all times ET)

    • TV – GOLF Channel
    • Streaming – NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
Date GOLF Channel Peacock
Friday 6-9 p.m.  
Saturday 6-9 p.m.  
Sunday 6-9 p.m.* 3-6 p.m.
*Delayed coverage  

Notable Players This Week

    • Steven Alker
    • Stephen Ames
    • Ernie Els
    • Retief Goosen
    • Jerry Kelly
    • Steve Stricker

 

KORN FERRY TOUR: NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP

This week’s championship at the Scarlet Course at Ohio State University Golf Club marks the third event of the four-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, with top 75 advancing to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in October. The top 30 players in the KFT standings after the Tour Championship will earn their PGA TOUR cards for the 2024 season.

Live coverage gets underway tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel and Peacock.

How To Watch – Thursday, September 21 – Sunday, September 24 (all times ET)

    • TV – GOLF Channel
    • Streaming – Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
Date GOLF Channel/Peacock
Thur-Sun 3-6 p.m.
 

DP WORLD TOUR: CAZOO OPEN OF FRANCE

GOLF Channel and NBC Sports’ Digital will present coverage of the DP World Tour Cazoo Open of France at Le Golf National, which hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup. The event returned in 2022 after not being held in 2020 and 2021 and is continental Europe’s oldest national championship.

How To Watch – Thursday, September 21 – Sunday, September 24 (all times ET)

    • TV – GOLF Channel
    • Streaming – NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
Date Streaming GOLF Channel
Thursday 7:30-11:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 12:30 a.m.-2 a.m.*
Saturday 7:30 a.m. – Noon 2-4 a.m.*
Sunday 7 a.m. – Noon 4-6 p.m.*

Notable Players This Week

    • Billy Horschel
    • Rasmus Hojgaard
    • Ryan Fox
    • Min Woo Lee
    • Victor Perez

 

 

BROADCAST NOTES

    • Golf Central will provide pre- and post-tournament coverage on GOLF Channel Wednesday-Sunday. Golf Central coverage is anchored by Damon Hack, Eamon Lynch, Anna Jackson, Jim Gallagher Jr., Amanda Blumenherst, Cara Banks, Paige Mackenzie and Amy Rogers.

 

Day Golf Today/Golf Central
Wednesday 4-5 p.m.
Thursday 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m./6-7 p.m.
Friday 1-3 p.m.
Saturday 1-3 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Note: all times ET, post-round coverage begins following conclusion of play

All GOLF Channel coverage also streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via authentication, giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

 –NBC SPORTS–

*REMINDER* NBC SPORTS 44TH RYDER CUP MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL – TODAY, THURSDAY, SEPT. 21, AT 1 P.M. ET

By Leave a Comment

Play-by-Play Commentator Dan Hicks, Analysts Paul Azinger, Jim Gallagher Jr. and Curt Byrum, and On-Course Reporter John Wood

Dial 786-697-3501 (U.S.), +44 33-0551-0200 (UK) to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 21, 2023 – NBC Sports play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, golf analysts Paul Azinger, Jim Gallagher Jr., and Curt Byrum, and on-course reporter John Wood will preview the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome on a media conference call today, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. ET.

Media interested in participating should call 786-697-3501 (U.S.), +44 33-0551-0200 (UK); Passcode: NBC Sports Ryder Cup.

    • WHAT: 2023 NBC Sports Ryder Cup Media Conference Call
    • WHO: Dan Hicks, Paul Azinger, Jim Gallagher Jr., Curt Byrum, John Wood
    • WHEN: Today, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. ET
    • NUMBER: 786-697-3501 (U.S.), +44 33-0551-0200 (UK)
    • PASSCODE: NBC Sports Ryder Cup

NBC Sports presents comprehensive live coverage of the 44th Ryder Cup across NBC, USA Network and Peacock beginning Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1 from Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome. Studio coverage on-site from Marco Simone begins Monday, September 25, with Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup on GOLF Channel and Peacock.

NBC Sports will present coverage from the first tee shot of the Ryder Cup to the final putt from Friday-Sunday, totaling 100-plus hours of live coverage during Ryder Cup week from Marco Simone including on-site studio coverage and featured group coverage.

—NBC SPORTS—

NO. 9 NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH HOST NO. 6 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES IN TOP TEN SHOWDOWN THIS SATURDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBC AND PEACOCK

By Leave a Comment

QB Taulia Tagovailoa and Maryland Visit Michigan State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock

College Countdown Pregame Show from South Bend, Ind., Begins at 3 p.m. ET, Continues at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock

Maria Taylor Interviews Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Joshua Perry Speaks with Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman, and Notre Dame Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Brown Joins Show Live from South Bend on Saturday’s College Countdown

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 20, 2023 – The No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) host the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) in a primetime matchup of undefeated Top 10 teams this Saturday, Sept. 23, from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, headlining NBC Sports’ college football action this weekend.  College Countdown pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

NBC Sports’ college football coverage this Saturday includes:

7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock: No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish defeated Central Michigan, 41-17, last weekend to remain unbeaten this season. Quarterback Sam Hartman threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns and currently leads the country in touchdown passes (13) and ranks in the top five in passing yards (1,061) and passer rating (217.8). Running back Audric Estime ran for 176 yards and a touchdown against Central Michigan, moving into first place in the nation in rushing yards (521), while wide receivers Chris Tyree and Tobias Meriweather combined for 169 receiving yards and two scores last weekend.

The Buckeyes defeated Western Kentucky, 63-10, last week to move to 3-0 and stay atop the Big Ten East division. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl XLI champion Marvin Harrison, hauled in five receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown. QB Kyle McCord passed for 318 yards and three touchdowns while RB TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 88 yards and a pair of scores in the win.

Notre Dame and Ohio State have met a total of seven times, with the Buckeyes leading the all-time series, 5-2. The most recent matchup saw the Buckeyes win, 21-10, in last year’s season-opener on Sept. 3, 2022. This will be the first matchup between the two programs to be held at Notre Dame Stadium since 1996. Ohio State is second all-time in wins with 956 while Notre Dame ranks fourth with 942.

Noah Eagle (play-by-play) and Todd Blackledge (analyst) will call Ohio State-Notre Dame, along with Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst).

NBC Sports’ College Countdown studio team of Maria Taylor, Michael Robinson, Joshua Perry, Matt Cassel, Ahmed Fareed, and Nicole Auerbach will host pregame (7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock) and halftime coverage on-site from Notre Dame Stadium. They will also host pregame coverage of Maryland-Michigan State from South Bend at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

Headlining College Countdown on Saturday, Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown joins live from South Bend, Maria Taylor interviews Marvin Harrison, Jr., and Joshua Perry speaks with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. Additionally, a Pro Football Hall of Famer will continue NBC Sports’ new tradition and bang the Saturday Night drum pregame. Prior “drummers” include Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, former NFL running back LaMont Jordan, and Purdue basketball player and consensus National Player of the Year Zach Edey.

Each week, College Countdown will capture college football’s unique gameday atmosphere by providing pre-game and halftime commentary from the site of that week’s primetime game – 11 Big Ten and two Notre Dame games. The show will also provide pre-game and halftime content for NBC Sports’ college football afternoon games throughout the season on NBC and Peacock.

3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock: Maryland at Michigan State

The Maryland Terrapins (3-0) visit the Michigan State Spartans (2-1) at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

Maryland defeated Virginia, 42-14, at home last weekend, scoring 42 unanswered points after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter. QB Taulia Tagovailoa – the brother of Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa – passed for 342 yards and a touchdown and leads the Big Ten in passing yards (889) this season.

Michigan State looks to rebound after falling to No. 8 Washington, 41-7, last weekend.

Maryland at Michigan State will be called by Jac Collinsworth (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (analyst) and Zora Stephenson (sidelines). Former Big Ten referee Reggie Smith serves as the rules analyst.

NBC Sports’ FBS college football games announced to date:

Date Time (ET) Matchup Platform
Sat., Sept. 23 3:30 p.m. Maryland at Michigan State NBC, Peacock
Sat., Sept. 23 7:30 p.m. No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame NBC, Peacock
Sat., Sept. 30 3:30 p.m. Illinois at Purdue Peacock
Sat., Sept. 30 7:30 p.m. Michigan State at No. 24 Iowa NBC, Peacock
Sat., Oct. 14 7:30 p.m. No. 5 USC at No. 9 Notre Dame NBC, Peacock
Sat., Oct. 28 3:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at No. 9 Notre Dame NBC, Peacock
Sat., Nov. 11 7:30 p.m. Michigan State at No. 6 Ohio State NBC, Peacock
Sat., Nov. 18 3:30 p.m. Wake Forest at No. 9 Notre Dame NBC, Peacock
Fri., Nov. 24 7:30 p.m. No. 7 Penn State at Michigan State (Ford Field) NBC, Peacock

 

The remaining NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football games will be announced during the season, with each matchup typically announced 12 days prior to the scheduled game date.

NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football package features Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC and Peacock – marking the first time ever that Big Ten Football will have a dedicated weekly primetime game on a national broadcast network – and nine exclusive games on Peacock. Throughout the 2023 season, Peacock simulstreams all Notre Dame games aired live on NBC, including pre- and postgame coverage and the platform exclusively presented a matchup for the third consecutive season when the Fighting Irish defeated Central Michigan on Sat., Sept. 16.

Peacock’s expansive programming offers the most live sports of any streamer in the United States, featuring live coverage including Big Ten Football, Sunday Night Football, Notre Dame Football, Olympic Games, Premier League, NASCAR, NTT IndyCar Series, and much more.  Peacock also offers daily sports programming on the NBC Sports channel.

–NBC SPORTS–

NBC SPORTS 44TH RYDER CUP MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL – TOMORROW, THURSDAY, SEPT. 21, AT 1 P.M. ET

By Leave a Comment

Play-by-Play Commentator Dan Hicks, Analysts Paul Azinger, Jim Gallagher Jr. and Curt Byrum, and On-Course Reporter John Wood

Dial 786-697-3501 (U.S.), +44 33-0551-0200 (UK) to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 20, 2023 – NBC Sports play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, golf analysts Paul Azinger, Jim Gallagher Jr., and Curt Byrum, and on-course reporter John Wood will preview the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome on a media conference call this Thursday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. ET.

Media interested in participating should call 786-697-3501 (U.S.), +44 33-0551-0200 (UK); Passcode: NBC Sports Ryder Cup.

    • WHAT: 2023 NBC Sports Ryder Cup Media Conference Call
    • WHO: Paul Azinger, Justin Leonard, Jim Gallagher Jr., John Wood
    • WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. ET
    • NUMBER: 786-697-3501 (U.S.), +44 33-0551-0200 (UK)
    • PASSCODE: NBC Sports Ryder Cup

NBC Sports presents comprehensive live coverage of the 44th Ryder Cup across NBC, USA Network and Peacock beginning Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1 from Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome. Studio coverage on-site from Marco Simone begins Monday, September 25, with Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup on GOLF Channel and Peacock.

NBC Sports will present coverage from the first tee shot of the Ryder Cup to the final putt from Friday-Sunday, totaling 100-plus hours of live coverage during Ryder Cup week from Marco Simone including on-site studio coverage and featured group coverage.

—NBC SPORTS—

RAIDERS HOST STEELERS IN HISTORIC RIVALRY MATCHUP ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC, PEACOCK AND UNIVERSO

By Leave a Comment

Carrie Underwood, the Star of the SNF Show Open, to be Interviewed by Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on Football Night in America

Coverage Begins with FNIA at 7 p.m. ET; Followed by 8:20 p.m. ET Kickoff

NFL Sundays Begin and End on Peacock with Exclusive Coverage Featuring Fantasy Football Pregame with Matthew Berry at 11 a.m. ET and Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Immediately After Each SNF Game

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 20, 2023 – Jimmy Garoppolo and the Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) host Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) in a historic rivalry game in the Week 3 edition of NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America, followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on NBC, Peacock and Universo.

Following a Week 1 win against the Denver Broncos, the Raiders fell to the Buffalo Bills, 38-10, on the road last weekend. Garoppolo threw for 185 yards and a touchdown, while three-time All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams had 84 receiving yards and a score on six receptions, surpassing Larry Fitzgerald for the fifth-most touchdown receptions by a player in his first 10 seasons in NFL history (88). Las Vegas is currently tied with Kansas City for first place in the AFC West.

The Steelers defeated the division rival Cleveland Browns, 26-22, on Monday night. Pickett threw for 222 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown pass to WR George Pickens, who had 127 receiving yards on the night, while 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt recovered a fumble for what would turn out to be the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Las Vegas and Pittsburgh meet for the 32nd time (including the postseason) on Sunday, with the Raiders holding a 17-14 advantage. From 1972-1976, these two teams met in the playoffs a record five consecutive seasons in what was one of the bitter rivalries of the 1970s, fueled in part by the “Immaculate Reception,” the miracle touchdown catch by Steelers wide receiver Franco Harris from Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw during a 1972 AFC Divisional Playoff game.

Calling Steelers-Raiders is Mike Tirico (play-by-play); 17-time Emmy Award winner Cris Collinsworth (analyst); and Melissa Stark (sideline reporter). Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay is the Sunday Night Football rules analyst.

On Football Night in America, Tirico and Collinsworth will interview Carrie Underwood, the star of the Sunday Night Football show open for 11 consecutive seasons. Underwood, in the midst of her ongoing residency, REFLECTION, at The Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, will attend Steelers-Raiders on Sunday night.

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Rob Hyland and director Drew Esocoff. SNF has won a record 11 Sports Emmys for Outstanding Live Sports Series.

Football Night in America is hosted by Maria Taylor and features former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty, and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, as well as Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, NFL insider Mike Florio, fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry, and co-host Jac Collinsworth.

Football Night, the most-watched studio show in sports since its debut in 2006, begins every Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The coordinating producer of FNIA is Matt Casey. FNIA is directed by Kaare Numme.

Peacock exclusively bookends NFL coverage every Sunday with Fantasy Football Pregame with Matthew Berry at 11 a.m. ET and its exclusive postgame show, Peacock Sunday Night Football Final following each Sunday Night Football game.

PEACOCK TO STREAM EXCLUSIVE REGULAR-SEASON AND WILD CARD GAME; WILL LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES THIS SEASON

Peacock is set to make history twice this season, with the first time being in Week 16 with the first-ever Peacock-exclusive regular season NFL game featuring Josh Allen and the Bills visiting Justin Herbert and the Chargers on Saturday, Dec. 23. Peacock will also be home to the first-ever exclusive live streamed NFL Playoff game during Wild Card Weekend on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. All of NBC Sports’ NFL regular -season games, playoff games, and Football Night in America will also stream live on Peacock this season.

Peacock features a slate of sports talk content NFL fans can enjoy on the NBC Sports channel, which is free to stream. Shows include Brother from Another, as well as The Dan Patrick Show, PFT Live, PFT PM, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry, The Peter King Podcast, and Chris Simms Unbuttoned.

To learn more about the NFL on Peacock, including how to watch and sign up, click here.

NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream live coverage to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via authentication, giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcasts. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.

TELEMUNDO DEPORTES TO PRESENT ENTIRE NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, INCLUDING PLAYOFFS

Telemundo Deportes will again provide exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package with 20 regular season games, including this Thursday’s NFL Kickoff Game, 18 regular-season Sunday Night Football games, and the annual Thanksgiving night game, which will air on Telemundo. Telemundo Deportes will present four playoff matchups, including a Divisional Playoff game and three Wild Card Playoff games. NBC Sports’ NFL games this season will also be available on live stream via TelemundoDeportes.com and the Telemundo Deportes app.

Telemundo Deportes’s SNF announce team consists of Emmy-award winning sports journalist and play-by-play announcer Miguel Gurwitz and former Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Rolando Cantu this season with Ariana Figuera serving as analyst and supporting pre- and post-game studio coverage. Emmy-nominated Ana Jurka joins the team as host.

PETER KING’S NFL COLUMN “FOOTBALL MORNING IN AMERICA” DEBUTS EVERY MONDAY EXCLUSIVELY ON NBCSPORTS.COM

A new “Football Morning in America” will post every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com. 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. The Peter King Podcast streams weekly on Peacock on Thursdays at 6 p.m. ET.

CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED

NBC Sports’ Chris Simms examines everything happening in the NFL and around the sports world. Along with a rotation of NBC Sports hosts including Ahmed Fareed and Paul Burmeister, Chris Simms Unbuttoned analyses the NFL with in-depth Xs and Os breakdowns; one-on-one interviews with players, coaches and executives; and game recaps and preview. The show is available to stream on Peacock on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and is also available in podcast form here.

FANTASY FOOTBALL HAPPY HOUR WITH MATTHEW BERRY

Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry, NBC Sports’ daily fantasy football and sports betting show, streams every weekday every weekday at Noon ET on Peacock. “Fantasy Football Happy Hour” discusses the most newsworthy fantasy football and sports betting topics and is co-hosted by Jay Croucher and features analysis and advice from regular guests including NBC Sports’ Chris Simms, Mike Florio and Peter King, NBC Sports EDGE’s Denny Carter, Pat Daugherty, Vaughn Dalzell, Lawrence Jackson, and more.  The show, which is available on all major podcast platforms and via NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Radio, features fantasy football rankings, start/sit suggestions, waiver wire advice, betting futures, player props, and more.

ROTOWORLD

Rotoworld, the industry-leading source for fantasy football news and information, , offers comprehensive fantasy football and betting coverage throughout the 2023 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. The 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Guide, featuring the most comprehensive player profiles, ranking and projections in the industry plus Matthew Berry’s annual “100 Facts” article and additional exclusive content from Rotoworld’s team of expert analysts, is available now. Click here for more information.

PFT LIVE – WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON PEACOCK

Mike Florio and co-host Chris Simms bring fans the latest NFL news and interviews with players and coaches every weekday morning with PFT Live streaming live on Peacock at 7 a.m. ET. Peter King also contributes regularly to PFT Live’s coverage throughout the season.

The two-hour PFT Live is known for delivering inside information and comprehensive analysis from an independent perspective. The show covers all the latest news around the league, breaks down reports and rumors and features interviews with players, coaches and executives.

PODCASTS

NBC Sports’ football podcasts provide extensive weekly offerings from NBC Sports’ most popular personalities and present special guests, exclusive interviews, and robust conversations across all of football on The Peter King Podcast, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry, Chris Simms Unbuttoned, PFT PM, and Rotoworld Football Show, along with college football on B1G Talk with Todd and Noah and Go B1G or Go Home. While The Peter King Podcast features intimate discussions with the NFL’s top players, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry is NBC Sports’ fantasy daily sports betting show, Chris Simms Unbuttoned and PFT PM dive into deep conversations around the sports’ hottest topics, and Rotoworld Football Show explores fantasy implications for fans. New episodes of NBC Sports podcasts are available for download each week on all major podcast platforms including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA

    • SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Through the unique filter of Instagram, fans will get an in-depth look at each week’s Sunday Night Football game with the most engaging photos and videos from across the NFL. SNF also utilizes Instagram Stories for up-to-the-minute coverage of the league.
    • SNF ON TWITTER: The very latest news, video, analysis from the Football Night in America crew and much more lives on @SNFonNBC, the real-time engine for NBC’s year-round NFL coverage.
    • SNF ON FACEBOOK: With more than 3.6 million followers, SNF’s Facebook page is the hub of football conversation. It’s the place to converse and engage with fellow fans on the latest news and action across the NFL.
    • NBC SPORTS ON TIKTOK: NBC Sports’ presence on TikTok puts the spotlight on the offbeat and exuberant side of the National Football League for a young, highly-engaged audience.

“SCARY GOOD SUNDAY NIGHT” PARTIES

NBC Sports this season launches a series of Sunday Night Football viewing parties across the country that will help fans ease the new-week nerves as they watch the NFL’s best in primetime each Sunday. At each event, attendees will have the chance to blitz their worries by taking down an NFL tackling dummy for a chance to win exclusive prizes that enhance their Sundays, including exclusive savings on TV-mounting and other home services courtesy of Taskrabbit, complimentary three-month memberships from meditation and mental wellness app, Breethe, and three-months of free Peacock Premium.

The Sunday Night Football viewing parties continue September 24 as the Las Vegas Raiders host the Pittsburgh Steelers on NBC and Peacock. Fans are invited to a Scary Good Sunday Night in the following cities:

    • Sept. 24 – Tom’s Watch Bar (Pittsburgh) and BrewDog (Las Vegas)
    • Oct. 1 – Chicken N Pickle (Kansas City) and Houston Hall (New York)
    • Oct. 8 – Backyard (Dallas) and Golden Gate Tap Room (San Francisco)
    • Oct. 15 – Buffalo

NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS

NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports Chicago, NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Washington will again deliver extensive multiplatform coverage of the 2023 NFL season, led by comprehensive live gameday shows, in-depth news, analysis and commentary programming, and multimedia digital content covering the teams in their respective markets.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Eight-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood stars in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. This year’s show open debuted Sunday night, Sept. 10, before kickoff of Cowboys-Giants on NBC.

The new show open – headlined by an updated rendition of “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” – features a concert performance interspersed with augmented reality highlights displayed across a halo scoreboard. Underwood performed the open from The Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, home of her ongoing residency, REFLECTION.

NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW FOR RECORD 12 CONSECUTIVE YEARS: NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2022-23 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 12th consecutive year – adding to its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen. Sunday Night Football also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the 13th consecutive TV season.

2023 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sun. Sept. 24 Week 3   Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders
Sun. Oct. 1 Week 4 Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets
*Sun. Oct. 8 Week 5   Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers
*Sun. Oct. 15 Week 6 New York Giants at Buffalo Bills
*Sun. Oct. 22 Week 7 Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
*Sun. Oct. 29 Week 8 Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers
*Sun. Nov. 5 Week 9 Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals
*Sun. Nov. 12 Week 10 New York Jets at Las Vegas Raiders
*Sun. Nov. 19 Week 11  Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos
**Thurs. Nov. 23 Week 12 San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Nov. 26 Week 12 Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers
*Sun. Dec. 3 Week 13 Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Dec. 10 Week 14 Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
*Sun. Dec. 17 Week 15 Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sat. Dec. 23 (4:30 p.m. ET) Week 16 Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
***Sat. Dec. 23 (8 p.m. ET) Week 16 Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Chargers
*Sun. Dec. 31 Week 17 Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
*Sun. Jan. 8 Week 18 TBD

 

*Flex Week

** Thanksgiving Night Game

*** Exclusively on Peacock

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING:

Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 11-18. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-17, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time.

For Week 18, two Saturday games and the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 8. The schedule does not list Saturday games or a Sunday night game in Week 18, but games with playoff implications will be moved to those time slots.  Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime.

–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL–

PETER KING ON AARON RODGERS, MICAH PARSONS, AND TUA TAGOVAILOA IN THIS WEEK’S “FMIA” COLUMN

By Leave a Comment

“Micah Parsons is the closest thing I’ve seen to (Lawrence) Taylor in terms of being able to collapse the pocket with a bull-rush and turnstile a tackle with unblockable speed.” – Peter King on Cowboys LB Micah Parsons

“If Tua (Tagovailoa) plays 16 or 17 games, this team’s going to be a very tough out in the postseason. He drops passes into tight windows as pretty as any quarterback today.” – King on the Dolphins

“This is going to be a Willis Reed story. I don’t know if he’ll be as great with a sutured Achilles at 40 as he would have been with a pure one at 39. But Aaron Rodgers is not going out like this.” – King on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

 STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 18, 2023 – Peter King discusses Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury and possible comeback this season, 2-0 starts by the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, and speaks with head coaches Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks and Arthur Smith of the Atlanta Falcons in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also ranks his Top 10 teams, and more.

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, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon 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:

KING’S WEEK 2 TOP 10 POWER RANKINGS

1. Dallas 6 Baltimore
2. San Francisco 7. Buffalo
3. Philadelphia 8. Los Angeles Rams
4. Miami 9. Seattle
5. Kansas City T-10. Detroit, Tampa Bay

 

King on Cowboys LB Micah Parsons: “I covered the Giants for four prime Lawrence Taylor seasons. Micah Parsons is the closest thing I’ve seen to Taylor in terms of being able to collapse the pocket with a bull-rush and turnstile a tackle with unblockable speed.”

King on the Eagles: “(This team) has the best 1-to-53 roster in football. What’s to worry about, other than holding off Dallas in the NFC East?”

King on the Dolphins: “If Tua (Tagovailoa) plays 16 or 17 games, this team’s going to be a very tough out in the postseason. He drops passes into tight windows as pretty as any quarterback today.”

King on the Rams: “I thought this was a rebuilding year for the McVays. But this is a tough, tough team.”

JETS & AARON RODGERS

King on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers potentially making a return this season after tearing his Achilles in Week 1: “Rodgers and the medical professionals will not be ruled by emotion. If he’s cleared, it’ll be because the Achilles is fully healed and prepared for the stress of a football game. (Achilles surgeon Dr. Neal) ElAttrache’s reputation is if the patient is not fully ready, the doctor won’t succumb to pressure to clear him.”

King on Rodgers’ comeback: “He invested too much mental and physical effort, and he bought into the New York (and New Jersey) State of Mind. This is going to be a Willis Reed story. I don’t know if he’ll be as great with a sutured Achilles at 40 as he would have been with a pure one at 39. But Aaron Rodgers is not going out like this.”

King on Jets QB Zach Wilson: “I think the good sign for Zach Wilson is he’s playing less frenetically than he did last season – maybe due to the zen QB approach he saw in Aaron Rodgers…The Patriots come to New Jersey Sunday, and Wilson’s got to show better or the fans will lay it on him.”

SEAHAWKS

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to King on QB Geno Smith’s journey from backup to starter: “Geno’s the example I preach about to our players. He maintained a starter’s mentality throughout four years of sitting…But he never didn’t believe.”

Carroll: “I wound up telling the whole team about it because it’s the perfect illustration of how every backup should prepare – when you get in there, it’s not a shock to you. It’s not unexpected. We call it ‘G prep.’”

King on Seahawks QB Geno Smith: “Smith is every bit the player in his first 20 games that (Russell) Wilson was in his last 20 in Seattle.”

WEEK 2

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith on going for it on fourth down with 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, down 24-22: “As the game wore down, we felt that we weren’t out of anything in our playbook. When you have explosive players – whether it’s in the rushing attack or the passing attack, you try not to become obvious. It allowed us to stay in our normal offense and we felt good about it how we could attack the defense there.”

King on Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield leading the team to a 2-0 start: “Tampa Bay doesn’t have a quarterback of the future, and this spot is shaping up nicely for a guy who’d gotten beat up a lot in his last two seasons. This could be the start of a beautiful relationship.”

King on the Broncos’ 0-2 start: “I think Sean Payton’s not going to make it comfortable for the Broncos in practice this week. Going 0-2 against the Raiders and Commanders, both at home, both winnable games, will fry Payton. And it should.”

King on the Ravens: “Baltimore’s not only 2-0, but 2-0 in the AFC, with a two-game edge (plus the tiebreaker) over the favorite to win the division, Cincinnati…This could be a brutal division, top to bottom, and this morning, Baltimore’s got the edge.”

KING’S WEEK 2 AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay, & D’Andre Swift, Philadelphia

King on Mayfield: “Go figure, after stints with Cleveland, Carolina and the Rams over the past two years, that Mayfield would be the hottest quarterback in the league out of the gate in 2023.”

Defensive Players of the Week: Geno Stone, Baltimore, Shaq Barrett, Tampa Bay, & Chris Jones, Kansas City

King on Jones’ impact on the Chiefs: “The Super Bowl champs, on their flight home, must have been thinking, ‘Man, wish we had you last week for the Detroit game.’”

Coach of the Week: Todd Bowles, head coach, Tampa Bay

Special Teams Player of the Week: Marvin Mims, Denver

NEWS & NOTES

King on the natural grass/artificial turf debate: “For the league to go all-grass, I’m convinced it has to be a collectively bargained issue, even though there is evidence that in non-contact injuries, grass is overall a safer surface. The owners won’t voluntarily go to all-grass.”

King on the fans’ reaction to Aaron Rodgers’ injury: “I feel awful for Jets fans, and for football fans who were all locked-in to see Rodgers with his first new team in 18 years. We’ve been robbed of a huge part of the human drama of athletic competition, and it’s a bummer.”

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—