On sports media: FOX's NFL studio show in desperate need of a shakeup
There was a time when Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson were considered cutting edge when it came to studio analysis, but those days are long gone and FOX executives don't seem to care.
“FOX NFL Sunday” was once considered the gold standard of pregame shows.
When FOX shocked everyone by outbidding CBS for the rights to the NFC package in 1994, the new kid on the block created an hour-long studio show that was edgy and nothing like the buttoned-up half-hour shows that CBS and NBC had done for years. It was a perfect fit for a network that was only 8 years old and embraced the irreverence that its four panelists brought to the show.
The four were James Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson.
Brown left to host CBS’ “NFL Today” in 2006, but 30 years later Bradshaw, Long and Johnson are still around, having been joined by Michael Strahan and Rob Gronkowski. (Johnson left to spend three seasons as the Miami Dolphins coach but returned to FOX in 2002.)
What was once a fresh and fun show is now stale and in desperate need of change. This was on display during FOX’s broadcast of the Super Bowl on Sunday. Host Curt Menefee stood out as being on top of his game, but otherwise the show felt disjointed and awkward at times.
We are in an era where networks are often trying to bring in new voices from players or coaches who have recently stepped away from the game and can provide real insight. FOX is sorely lacking in this area and doesn’t seem to care.
Bradshaw, 76, retired from the NFL after the 1983 season; Long, 65, stepped away after ’93; and Johnson, 81, hasn’t coached a game in the 21st century. The 53-year-old Strahan is a young man compared to his three colleagues and his last game was in 2007.
It appeared Johnson might be ready to call it quits after FOX aired an AI video that went more than four minutes and took you through his playing, coaching and broadcasting career. Johnson was emotional when the tribute ended, leaving many wondering if he would announce that Sunday would be his final game on FOX. But he only said he was taking it “one day at a time,” when asked about his future by Menefee.
FOX executives need to consider the future in terms of what direction they want to go with their NFL studio show.