Bleav in The Media Guide

The center of the golf universe returns to Augusta National Golf Club with the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) this Wednesday and Thursday on GOLF Channel and Peacock, a practice round Friday, and the final round Saturday, April 1st at noon Eastern on NBC and Peacock. Next week, the PGA TOUR and LIV Golf players will participate in the year’s first major. NBC Sports will surround the ESPN and CBS presentation with Golf Central Live From The Masters on GOLF Channel. Host Rich Lerner and analysts Brandel Chamblee and Notah Begay III preview the fortnight with discussions on Model Local Rule (MLR), Rory McIlroy’s legacy not being defined by a career grand slam, and more.

The National Women’s Soccer League kicks off its 11th season this weekend as Commissioner Jessica Berman marks her first year in the role next month. Recognized as Sports Business Journal’s Best Hire of 2022, the former labor lawyer brings 13 years of experience at the NHL and nearly three years at the National Lacrosse League. She realizes the recognition sets high expectations for her and the league. She reviews year-over-year revenue and ratings success and how that momentum continues in the final year of the NWSL’s deal with CBS. Berman explains how its investment in NWSL Media, social media, and a new marketing campaign position the league ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a new media rights deal in 2024, and the 2026 Men’s World Cup in North America. She discusses systemic reform and being open to new ideas as a challenger league.

March is Women’s History Month, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum partnered with the National Archives Foundation to highlight the “Diamond Dreams: Women in Baseball” exhibit, tracing the role of women in the game from the 19th century to the present day. As part of the partnership between the D.C. and Cooperstown institutions, Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng, the first woman general manager in professional baseball, discusses her career with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and MLB. She learned from Joe Torre how to deal with media and shares the credit with other pioneering women as they collectively move the ball forward.

From Tuesday, February 28th through Sunday, March 5th, NFL Network will be live for more than 50 hours at the 18th NFL Combine from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. While 33 NFL Network and NFL Digital Media talent will be present, analyst Daniel Jeremiah probably will be the busiest team member over those six days. Jeremiah is a former scout for three NFL teams, and he breaks down some top position groups, including quarterback, tight end, and edge rusher. Plus, learn how the NFL will track data and compare that information with other prospects as well as active NFL players.

Amazon, ESPN, FOX, and NBC have new A-teams in their broadcast booths, as CBS begins Year 6 with Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson. Nantz looks forward to many more seasons with Romo while wishing well the new faces and old faces in new places. Sean McManus, CBS Sports Chairman and Executive Producer for the NFL on CBS, highlights the continuity at his network and says all leading indicators for the season are up. Harold Bryant, Executive Producer and Executive Vice President, Production at CBS Sports, talks about what’s new this year. Discussing the promotion of director Suzanne Smith to CBS’s second team, replacing retiring Bob Fishman, NFL on CBS Lead Game Producer Rikhoff recalls working with her at the AFC Championship Game earlier this year. Plus, hear from Tony Romo on the Patriots.

On Thursday, September 8, primetime television’s Number 1 show for an unprecedented 11 consecutive seasons with a record 11 Emmys for Outstanding Live Sports Series – "Sunday Night Football" on NBC and Peacock -- will return with a new look to kick off the NFL season. Coordinating producer Rob Hyland, play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico, and sideline reporter Melissa Stark respectively replace Fred Gaudelli, Al Michaels, and Michele Tafoya. The new trio and returning analyst Cris Collinsworth say they already feel like they’ve been together for a while. The "Sunday Night Football" pregame show, "Football Night in America," also received a facelift with host Maria Taylor leading new analysts, former Cowboys quarterback and head coach Jason Garrett, and fantasy football expert, Matthew Berry, as they join returning analysts Tony Dungy and Chris Simms. Hear from all five as they evolve the most-watched studio show in sports while staying true to their mission.

Beginning its 10th year as the exclusive U.S. media home of the Premier League, NBC Sports welcomed a new lead play-by-play commentator, Peter Drury, who has been a match caller since the league’s inception in 1992, including the past 18 years as the voice of the Premier League’s world feed. He replaces Arlo White, who joined the LIV Golf International Series. On this episode, Drury discusses joining NBC while studio host Rebecca Lowe, analyst Tim Howard, and coordinating producer Pierre Moosa relive “Ted Lasso” and its beginnings as a Premier League promo while helping establish NBC as it starts its six-year extension with the league. The group also goes deep on the impact of World Cup, which will stop the season in November and December. Plus, ESPN Bundesliga lead play-by-play commentator Derek Rae shares the top five storylines in Germany’s top division.

On Saturday, July 23, Tim Kurkjian will receive the Baseball Writers Association of America Career Excellence Award. Last month, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum hosted Kurkjian as part of its Virtual Author Series, and he traced his career arc that appeared destined for Cooperstown as a student at Walter Johnson High School. Kurkjian explains how his passion for the game and his short stature led him into writing. He shares stories about Don Zimmer, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr., Johnny Bench, and some of the fellow BBWAA award winners he read and with whom he reported. Which is more difficult for him: writing or broadcasting? And find out why being a baseball beat reporters provided the best experience for his time at ESPN.

From July 14-17, NBC Sports will present the final major of men’s golf season, the 150th Open Championship from the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. It’s the first visit to the home of golf for play-by-player Dan Hicks, who says it might be the last, best chance at The Open for Tiger Woods while analyst Paul Azinger thinks it’s not the end for Woods. On-course reporters John Wood and Notah Begay III along with Azinger explain why Will Zalatoris has a game that translates well to majors. Producer Tommy Roy explains how NBC will be in good hands using the Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s World Feed.

NBC Sports will present more than 100 hours of the men’s U.S. Open Golf Tournament from The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock, including 40-plus hours of studio coverage with "Golf Central: Live From The U.S. Open" on Golf Channel, starting Monday, June 13th. Following LIV Golf’s inaugural event, NBC producer Tommy Roy and host Dan Hicks discuss how they plan to cover the U.S. Open in the current context of the golf world. NBC analysts Paul Azinger, Justin Leonard, and Notah Begay III look forward to one of LIV Golf’s biggest names, Phil Mickelson, being a storyline this weekend.