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🎤 QUICK START ✍️

🏈 Bowl bloat. Kirk Herbstreit revealed he once questioned ESPN's bowl game strategy at an internal seminar, arguing that 6-6 teams shouldn't qualify for postseason play. It didn't go over well with the network.

📺 Coaching exodus? Adam Schefter suggested on The Pat McAfee Show that Mike Tomlin or John Harbaugh could leave their NFL head coaching gigs for television after Week 18's Steelers-Ravens showdown.

🎓 No-brainer. Fox's Urban Meyer revealed he advised Kyle Whittingham to take the Michigan job, calling it a "no-brainer" despite his history with "That Team Up North."

🎙️ Rivalry schadenfreude. Cleveland and Pittsburgh radio hosts Ken Carman and Andrew Fillipponi watched the Browns-Steelers together at Huntington Bank Field. The 13-6 Cleveland upset produced exactly the reactions you'd expect.

🏀 More Chuck, please. Brian Windhorst said Charles Barkley wants more TV work heading into the final stretch of his TNT contract, contradicting assumptions he's ready to scale back.

📰 Jags defender. CBS Sports reporter Jonathan Jones criticized national media coverage of the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence, arguing both have been unfairly portrayed.

🔥 Rivalry rebuke. Lincoln Riley called out Notre Dame for rejecting USC's proposal to extend their rivalry series beyond the current agreement.

🚨 LEADING OFF 🚨

Bold sports media predictions for 2026

The sports media landscape continues to evolve, and 2026 promises to be another year of seismic shifts. From legendary broadcasters potentially hanging up their headsets to streaming wars reaching new heights, the coming year will reshape how we consume sports content. Here are seven predictions that could define the industry over the next twelve months.

Al Michaels calls his final NFL season

After more than five decades behind the microphone, Al Michaels will retire following the 2026-27 NFL season, ending one of broadcasting's most storied careers at age 82.

Michaels has been operating on year-to-year deals with Amazon Prime Video since 2022, when he initially signed a three-year contract to call Thursday Night Football. Amazon brought him back for the 2025 season on a one-year deal, and while Michaels has indicated he wants to return for 2026, the writing is on the wall. His broadcast partner, Kirk Herbstreit, is signed through 2026, creating a natural endpoint for the pairing. Michaels has been calling NFL games since 1975, a half-century run that includes some of the most iconic moments in sports broadcasting history.

But at 81, working Thursday nights on a week-to-week basis while the league continues its relentless schedule, the grind becomes harder to justify. Amazon will need to find a replacement who can match Michaels' gravitas without trying to replicate his irreplaceable style.

NBC's MLB coverage becomes must-watch TV

NBC's return to baseball after a 23-year absence will be one of 2026's biggest success stories, with Sunday Night Baseball quickly becoming the sport's premier weekly showcase.

The network announced its three-year MLB deal in November 2025, securing 25 Sunday Night Baseball games, the entire Wild Card round, and 18 MLB Sunday Leadoff games starting in 2026. NBC is paying roughly $250 million per year for the package — less than half of ESPN's previous $550 million annual commitment — but it's getting prime real estate in the process.

NBC will become the first broadcast network with year-round Sunday night sports programming, seamlessly transitioning from NFL to NBA to MLB. More importantly, NBC understands how to make baseball accessible. Unlike ESPN's increasingly niche approach, which often felt like it was broadcasting only to a select few, NBC has a track record of making sports feel like events. The network's NFL and Olympics coverage demonstrates it knows how to build storylines, create compelling pregame shows, and engage casual fans in outcomes. With the entire Wild Card round exclusively on NBC — not tucked away on cable or streaming — baseball's most exciting early October games will reach the largest possible audience. Expect strong ratings that force ESPN to reconsider how it approaches its remaining MLB rights.

Paramount wins the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery

After months of hostile takeover attempts and shareholder drama, Paramount Skydance will successfully acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in 2026.

In early December 2025, Netflix agreed to acquire WBD's studio and streaming assets (Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO, Max) for $27.75 per share in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $82.7 billion. But Paramount Skydance, backed by Larry Ellison's billions and sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, launched a hostile $30-per-share all-cash bid for the entire company — including WBD's struggling cable networks like CNN and TNT Sports.

WBD's board has consistently rejected Paramount's offers, citing financing concerns and regulatory risks. But Paramount keeps sweetening the deal. The company guaranteed Larry Ellison's $40.4 billion personal backing through an irrevocable trust anchored by 1.2 billion Oracle shares and matched Netflix's $5.8 billion breakup fee. The offer now includes $17.6 billion more cash than Netflix's proposal.

Follow the money and the motivations.

Paramount has already worked through back channels with the current Trump administration, promising major changes to CNN and arguing that the deal faces easier regulatory approval than Netflix's monopolistic streaming consolidation. WBD shareholders will ultimately follow the cash. Expect the deal to close in 2026, creating a media colossus that combines Paramount's CBS network and film studio with Warner Bros.' content library, HBO's prestige programming, and the combined streaming power of Paramount+ and Max. The ensuing layoffs and "synergies" will be brutal, but the consolidation is inevitable.

The NFL scales back Hard Knocks

The NFL will significantly reduce its Hard Knocks footprint in 2026, moving away from the multi-format approach that has oversaturated the market.

The league aggressively expanded Hard Knocks in recent years, launching training-camp, in-season, and offseason versions. But the offseason edition already flopped — it won't return in 2026 after the New York Giants debacle in 2024 and a failed attempt to partner with Bill Belichick's North Carolina program. The training camp version faces its own challenges. The NFL loosened eligibility rules in 2025, removing the playoff exemption that previously protected teams. Now, 20+ franchises can be added to the show each year, significantly expanding the pool. The Buffalo Bills became the first playoff team featured on training camp Hard Knocks since 2013.

But here's the problem: coaches and executives hate the show. The pool needed to be expanded because virtually no one volunteers. Teams view Hard Knocks as an invasive distraction that provides opponents with competitive intelligence while disrupting camp routines. The 2025 in-season version followed the NFC East, continuing the division-based format that debuted with the AFC North in 2024. But forcing an entire division onto the show every year creates resentment and logistical nightmares.

By 2026, the NFL will recognize that less is more.

Danny Parkins gets his own FS1 show

Fox Sports will give Danny Parkins his own show in 2026, finally capitalizing on one of the industry's brightest young talents.

Parkins has been in purgatory since FS1 canceled Breakfast Ball in July 2025 after less than a year on air. The network salvaged him by adding a third hour to First Things First, where Parkins joins the final hour (5-6 p.m. ET) alongside rotating contributors Eric Mangini and Greg Jennings. It's an awkward appendage to an existing hit, and everyone knows it. Parkins, praised by Colin Cowherd as "the most talented sports radio host out there right now at his age," deserves better. He's smart, measured, drives conversations without shouting, and brings credibility with younger audiences who want substance over hot takes.

His longtime friendship with First Things First host Nick Wright — they were roommates at Syracuse — has kept him visible, but he's clearly being underutilized.

The network canceled Speak and The Facility alongside Breakfast Ball, creating programming gaps it's still filling. The 6 p.m. hour remains undefined, and the morning slot now occupied by Barstool's Wake Up show faces uncertain long-term prospects given Dave Portnoy's unpredictability. Fox signed Parkins to a multi-year deal that convinced him to relocate from Chicago to New York. That's not the kind of investment networks make for third-hour contributors. Expect FS1 to launch a Parkins-led show in late 2026, likely in the 6 p.m. slot, positioning him as a centerpiece of the network's future. Whether it's a debate format or a more hybrid approach, Parkins will finally get the platform his talent deserves.

Peter Schrager gets his own ESPN show at 5 p.m.

ESPN will announce a new Peter Schrager-led show in the 5 p.m. slot, filling the hole left by various failed experiments and positioning him as a signature NFL voice.

Schrager joined ESPN in April 2025 after nine years on Good Morning Football on NFL Network, which relocated to Los Angeles and effectively disrupted the show's original chemistry. ESPN immediately deployed him across its lineup — Get Up, First Take, The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Live, SportsCenter — making him omnipresent during NFL season. Burke Magnus called him "a tremendous addition" who would "become a signature voice of our NFL coverage." The network also launched The Schrager Hour podcast in September 2025, produced with Omaha Productions, giving him a weekly platform to dive deep into NFL storylines.

But Schrager deserves more. He's charismatic, deeply connected with players and coaches, and has built genuine credibility as both a reporter and analyst. His work on Pat McAfee's Draft Spectacular in April 2025 was widely praised, with Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod noting he "stole the show."

The 5 p.m. slot has been a challenge for ESPN since the cancellation of Around the Horn. The network has cycled through various iterations of SportsCenter without finding a sustainable hit. The hour remains strategically important as the bridge between afternoon programming and evening event coverage. Speculation has already swirled about Schrager getting an afternoon show to fill the void left by Around the Horn's cancellation. ESPN will make it official in 2026, likely launching in late summer ahead of the NFL season. The format will probably blend Schrager's reporting with panel discussions, guest interviews, and breaking news. Think of a hipper, NFL-focused version of what Pardon the Interruption accomplished. It's the natural progression for someone ESPN is clearly grooming for stardom.

Chris Paul joins ESPN and becomes part of NBA Finals booth

Fresh off retirement, Chris Paul will join ESPN full-time in 2026 and work his way into the network's NBA Finals broadcast team, bringing Hall of Fame credibility to the biggest games.

Paul's media career is already underway. He served as a guest analyst on ESPN's NBA Countdown during the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, and his appearances were well-received. Paul is articulate, insightful, and unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom. He announced in November 2025 that the 2025-26 season would be his last, returning to the Clippers on a one-year, $3.6 million deal to close out his career. But that reunion ended disastrously in early December, when the Clippers sent him home after he clashed with coach Tyronn Lue, a move widely condemned across the league.

The unceremonious exit from his final season will only accelerate Paul's transition to media work. At 40, Paul will retire as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history —a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, six-time steals leader, second all-time in assists and steals. That matters enormously for a network that is about to call its first Super Bowl in 2027 and is desperate to elevate its NBA coverage.

ESPN has aggressively pursued recently retired stars for analyst roles. The network brought in Jason Kelce for Monday Night Countdown in his first year post-retirement and gave Randy Moss a prominent Sunday NFL Countdown role.

The strategy recognizes that modern audiences want insight from players who just lived the experience, not analysts decades removed from the game. Paul fits perfectly. He's cerebral, well-spoken, and has relationships across the league that will help ESPN land exclusive interviews. The network will start him on NBA Countdown for the 2026-27 season, but by the playoffs, expect Paul to join the Finals booth alongside Mike Breen. Whether that means pushing out current analysts Tim Legler and Richard Jefferson, or going to a two-man booth, ESPN will find a way to put Paul on its biggest stage. The NBA Finals ratings boost from having an all-time great calling the action will justify whatever awkward personnel moves are necessary.

🎺 AROUND AA 🎺

The teaser trailer for the upcoming John Madden film dropped last week, and reactions have been predictably mixed. Starring Nicolas Cage as the legendary coach and broadcaster, the movie chronicles Madden's life with a focus on the origin story of the Madden NFL video game franchise.

Most people have fixated on Cage's look. Madden was 6-foot-4 and 260+ pounds. Cage is four inches shorter and at least 60 pounds lighter. In the trailer, he appears wearing either a fat suit, prosthetics, or both. Jon "Stugotz" Weiner called it "the worst casting job of all-time." The skepticism stems from our gut reaction to seeing Cage play this beloved icon.

Awful Announcing's Michael Grant argues the film deserves the benefit of the doubt. Cage is known for his willingness to take risks. We all laughed when we first saw the trailer for 2021's Pig. It turns out that Cage's performance as a reclusive chef searching for his stolen truffle-hunting pig was one of his best. The actor has earned the benefit of the doubt.

Once you get past any preconceived notions, Cage's look isn't off the mark. The clothing, hair, and mannerisms appear spot-on from what we see in the trailer. Director David O. Russell has been nominated three times for Best Director and should benefit from Madden's broad appeal. The tie-in with the video games might help attract a younger audience.

Madden opens on Thanksgiving 2026. Let's give it a fair chance before writing it off based on a 90-second teaser.

Click to read the full piece on why Nicolas Cage playing John Madden might actually work.

👏 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 🗣️

• Tulsa is launching a "Portal House" reality show to document transfer portal recruiting. Head coach Tre Lamb is renting a house to host 45-50 transfer visits over 14 days starting Jan. 2, producing Barstool/Hard Knocks-style "live from the portal house" content.

• ESPN received two of Week 18's three best games for its Saturday doubleheader: Panthers-Buccaneers and Seahawks-49ers. NBC secured the Ravens-Steelers game for Sunday Night Football, while CBS and Fox received the Chargers-Broncos and Dolphins-Patriots games.

• Kyle Long will make his NFL booth debut Sunday, calling Chiefs-Raiders on CBS alongside Chris Lewis and Tiffany Blackmon. The three-time Pro Bowl selection currently hosts CBS's digital pregame show The NFL Today+ and the popular Pushing the Pile podcast.

• Fox asked to move the Mark Sanchez civil lawsuit from Indiana state court to federal court to avoid home-field advantage for the plaintiff. The network claims St. Elmo Steak House was "fraudulently joined" to delay the case. Fox must prove that plaintiff Perry Tole has no chance of imposing liability on the restaurant to succeed.

📣 NOTABLE QUOTABLES 🗣️

"I like memes... about me. I see a lot of that." - NBC's Cris Collinsworth after comparing Brock Purdy to Patrick Mahomes during Sunday Night Football, catching himself mid-praise and acknowledging he's become infamous for his Mahomes worship.

"The Big Ten really survived a major possible tragedy as far as a coaching staff search." - Fox's Urban Meyer on Wake Up Barstool, praising Penn State's hiring of Matt Campbell and Michigan's hiring of Kyle Whittingham as saving the conference from disaster.

"The only advice that I would give him, because I've been in this situation before, is listen to your gut feeling." - Rob Gronkowski warns Travis Kelce about making a hasty retirement decision, urging the Chiefs tight end to be patient before committing to walking away from football.

"Nah!!! The receipts must be read like yall read mine! I just felt like reading this morning." - ESPN's Marcus Spears, going on a victory lap after the Steelers lost to Cleveland without suspended DK Metcalf, retweeting everyone who criticized his take that Pittsburgh would miss the receiver. Spears had warned it was "the worst possible time not to have him" heading into the Browns game.

"I did not fully fundamentally agree with this." - Brandon Tierney on WFAN's controversial "10-15 second" management mandate under program director Spike Eskin, revealing he "struggled" with the directive that forced hosts to keep segments impossibly brief.

"It's unfair to call a lot of these guys busts. They were organizational failures." - ESPN's Troy Aikman defending struggling quarterbacks, arguing that many QBs labeled as draft failures were simply put in impossible situations by incompetent franchises.

️‍🔥 THE CLOSER 🔥

An ode to Gary Danielson

Gary Danielson has been in the booth for some of college football's most iconic moments. The Kick Six. The Holy Buckeye. Jalen Milroe's fourth-and-31 miracle. Thirty-six years calling games, 17 Army-Navy broadcasts, six Emmy nominations, and a career that carried him from ESPN to two decades as CBS's lead college football analyst.

But ask Danielson what he's most proud of from those legendary calls, and he won't point to anything he said. He'll point to what he didn't say.

"My best stuff is being a good teammate and letting the play-by-play guy do what he has to do," Danielson said recently. "Those great calls were not ruined by me trying to put my words in a time where it didn't need to be. And as a quarterback and as a leader, you're always wanting to say something, and sometimes you just have to shut up."

That restraint didn't come naturally. Danielson spent 11 seasons as an NFL quarterback, a position built on constant communication and control. The instinct to talk, to explain, to lead never fully disappears. But in the broadcast booth, paired first with Verne Lundquist and later with Brad Nessler, that instinct had to be managed. "Nothing. That's hard," Danielson said when asked what he said immediately after the Kick Six. "I'm a quarterback. I'm used to talking and taking the stage and telling people what to do."

Danielson wasn't always beloved. SEC audiences accused him of favoring Alabama. Alabama fans found their own reasons to dislike him. Tennessee fans never forgave him for downplaying Neyland Stadium. His perceived biases became running jokes, though Danielson repeatedly pushed back, insisting he tried to call balls and strikes rather than pretend to be an SEC guy when he hadn't earned that designation.

Polarizing or not, the résumé speaks for itself. Danielson will call his final game on December 31 when Arizona State meets Duke in the Sun Bowl. After that, he's done. He told Puck's John Ourand earlier this year that he'd rather leave a couple of years early than one year late, before people started saying he no longer had it.

It's a fitting philosophy for someone whose proudest moments came from knowing when to step back. Danielson built a career on understanding that sometimes the best thing an analyst can do is let the play-by-play guy work. Let the moment speak for itself. Let the pictures tell the story.

And as a quarterback and as a leader, sometimes you just have to shut up.