Wednesday’s edition of ESPN’s NFL Live is set to look entirely different for viewers watching at home on World Autism Awareness Day, thanks to a ton of help from the son of ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, Madden Orlovsky.
In comments to Chris Bumbaca of USA Today Sports, NFL Live director Tim Farrell detailed how Wednesday’s edition of the show will not be using the regular in-studio graphics typically featured on the show. Instead, the regular graphics will be replaced with hand-drawn artwork from Madden, who himself has autism.
“No matter what you’re seeing on the air, his drawings will be in the background,” Tim Farrell told Bumbaca. “There won’t be one graphic in the entire studio that is what we would normally use on our show.”
According to Farrell, his inspiration for giving Madden the reins on making drawings to be used on NFL Live came from a video posted by Dan on his X account this past June of a series of drawings from Madden related to the movie series Toy Story.
In response to this announcement, Orlovsky expressed his gratitude to Farrell and anyone else at ESPN who had a hand in making this happen.
“Really grateful and excited for today’s show,” wrote Orlovsky in a post on X.
Madden’s artwork being featured on NFL Live will not only showcase his obvious artistic talent, which is evident in a number of Dan’s past social media posts. But it also shows how parents around the world with children who have autism shouldn’t shy away from letting them express their creative passions that make them unique.
This is exactly what Tiffany Orlovsky, Dan’s wife and Madden’s mother, hopes is portrayed on Wednesday’s show.
“You’re not alone,” Tiffany told USA Today Sports in a message to other parents of children with autism. “There are so many people out there that will support your child and support you. And don’t be ashamed. Because they really are so special and cool.”
In response to this news, a number of Orlovsky’s NFL Live castmates, including Laura Rutledge and Mina Kimes, took to social media to share their excitement about Madden being highlighted on the show.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.