ESPN still has some time before it gets to broadcast the Super Bowl in 2027. However, they’re already putting a plan together and it includes a ManningCast.
Front Office Sports reporter Michael McCarthy spoke with ESPN president of content Burke Magnus at Tuesday’s Front Office Sports Tuned In summit where he said Peyton and Eli Manning will be on the call for ESPN2’s alternative broadcast.
“If we didn’t, I think I’d have a problem with those two fellows,” Magnus said. “But yeah, that’s gonna be definitely a part of it.”
The ManningCast entered its fourth season on Monday with Bill Belichick debuting in his new role as the show’s first-half special guest this year. While overall Monday Night Football ratings were through the roof for ABC and ESPN, ESPN2’s ManningCast struggled and garnered one of its lowest ratings totals ever. Those numbers could have been hampered by the DirecTV/Disney dispute as well as irritating technical glitches early in the broadcast.
Even without big ratings, the altcast continues to trend on social media and attract A-list guests, making it an ideal companion piece to ESPN’s main broadcast featuring Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Speaking of, that duo comes with plenty of Super Bowl experience and ESPN has been priming their broadcasting team for Super Bowl LXI since they arrived.
Magnus also told McCarthy that ESPN recently hired someone whose entire job is to project-manage the Super Bowl.
“It was very, very important to me that we had a person and a small team of people built around this leader who are fully dedicated,” Magnus said. “As I like to say, get out of bed every morning thinking about that Super Bowl and only that. So that they can keep everything moving in that direction.”
A lot can change between now and 2027, so take this announcement with a grain of salt. The big question is, if and when the Mannings do broadcast the Super Bowl, who do they line up as special guests?
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.