Manning The Broadcast Booth Proves A Winner

Call it other revenge of the little brother. Or “pipe down, I’m watching the game:” However you characterize it, the emergence of the Manning Brothers, Peyton and Eli, on Monday Night Football has breathed life into a stale broadcast format and shown that All In The Family doesn’t always mean Archie Bunker calling Mike Stivic a Meathead. 

For some time IDLM has railed about the reticence of network TV sports executives in evolving the experience of watching football— most sports in fact— from the classic MNF 1970s booth formula of Howard Cosell (the scribe), Frank Gifford (the eloquent jock) and Don Meredith (the homespun jock) to something that fits today’s zeitgeist. 

Along the way we’ve seen experiments ranging from comedian Dennis Miller, political guy Rush Limbaugh and future murderer O.J. Simpson— all lacking the chemistry of the original trio. Since ESPN took over the MNF slot the results have been progressively more irritating, culminating in the lamentable staccato of Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten and Booger McFarland. 

The current trio of loud talkers— Tony Bruno, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick— is only slightly less concussive. The solution that escapes ESPN is that the Gifford/ Cosell/ Meredith trio treated the show as a conversation, not an oxygen-depletion exercise. You can see how this more subtle style works with NBC’s Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. They massage the game, not wring its neck.

The talk-till-you’re-blue formula has invaded other sports, too. Again, ESPN has been a major transgressor here with the “Dickie V Wall of Noise" style being adopted by everyone in the trade. The “Yeeeah, baby” and “Posterized!!!” fit nicely into highlight packs later ,but in real time they are wearisome. 

Not all sports are created equal. Hockey and basketball produce fewer pauses for conversation, while football and baseball have plenty of room to breathe. In none of these sports, however, does the fan want to be assaulted by hyperbolic chalk talks or battles for air time among the talking heads.

Which brings us to the emergence of Peyton and Eli. Originally ESPN wanted Peyton for a traditional role in the MNF booth. But the elder brother is a media savvy guy who managed to triumph as host on Saturday Night Live (before it became a Democratic Party PSA). He didn’t want the circus of trotting from city to city to be a stereotyped analyst. He had other things in mind.

Desperate to get Peyton, the Worldwide Woke Network allowed him to customize an entirely different broadcast. (Typically they wouldn’t put it on the main network for fear of offending whomever they see as their target audience these days.) Peyton wanted something more like his experience watching a game at home in his man cave.

He wanted a comfort zone and some guests to watch the game with him. He didn’t want to work every game. And he wanted Eli. What has emerged is a runaway success (TSN has finally picked up the alternate cast lately) with U.S. ratings through five shows hitting 1.6 million viewers. (The show is a partnership between ESPN and Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions. This is the first of a three-year deal for them to do 10 games per season. )

What sells the format is the sibling chemistry. Five-time NFL MVP Peyton the tape wonk, the searing, candid reaction to boneheadedness and the unbreakable self confidence. Eli, meanwhile, the modest foil sniping at Peyton about everything from the size of his forehead to how he eats chicken without breathing. 

Eli— who won two Super Bowls in NYC to Peyton’s one in Indy and one in Denver— explains that what you see is reality dating back to their boyhood with older brother Cooper. As he told USA Today: “I didn’t have time to tell the big, long story, to analyze everything. I could just give little jabs and bring them back down a little bit…. 

“That’s how we are in real life. He’s going to be the one in control, he’s going to be the one talking and be the one in charge, and it’s just my job for when he’s getting all the praise and he’s feeling on top of the mountain and he’s the best— I can get my little jabs and take my shots at him and bring him down just to make sure he’s in neutral.”

They spice the show with a steady stream of guests from football and the entertainment world. Comedian Jon Stewart came on to lament the awfulness of his New York Giants and Marshawn Lynch came on to swear like a rapper. “Marshawn, I probably should have … handled him,” explained Peyton. “We apologize for that. Anyway, let’s get back to some football here.”

The show has even generated its own curse: Every active NFL player who’s come on has lost the following week, Buffalo’s Josh Allen being the latest. 

The success of the Mannings begs the question: Have they re-invented the gamely broadcast experience? Yes and no. They’ve shown a format that can draw more eyeballs than the cookie-cutter announce crews. But it takes the certain something of sibling sniping and insider humour to make it work.

So who could you see doing something similar? In hockey we’d like to see Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler do the slash-and-burn version of HNIC. Baseball? How about Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling. Basketball? Just take Shaq and Charles Barkley off the big set, stick them in a casino suite and let it rip.

Who will have the courage do do so? Don’t hold your breath. 

Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster (http://www.notthepublicbroadcaster.com). The best-selling author of Cap In Hand has been nominated for the BBN Business Book award of 2020 for Personal Account with Tony Comper. A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada's top television sports broadcaster, he’s also a regular contributor to Sirius XM Canada Talks Ch. 167. His new book with his son Evan is called InExact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years In NHL History is now available on http://brucedowbigginbooks.ca/book-personalaccount.aspx