USFL used to perfect football broadcasts
A broadcast 55 years in the making returned from a commercial break with a gamble in the third quarter. Across FOX and NBC properties, viewers were welcomed back inside Protective Stadium not by an announcer, but with a close-up of New Jersey Generals’ coach Mike Riley.
The United States Football League’s inaugural game kicked off with a madefor-TV start. By halftime, the defenses forced a stalemate. Outside in the production truck, longtime-FOX Sports producer Chuck McDonald stared at the monitor wall. A competitorturned-partner from NBC Sports to his left, and a slew of familiar faces to his right, McDonald was trying for the “perfect” football broadcast.
The on-air team of Curt Menefee (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (color commentary) and Brock Huard (analyst) chimed in sparingly as the Generals drove downfield. For about seven minutes on Saturday night, the broadcast’s audio was predominantly Riley. He had no idea the at-home audience could hear him as he called plays and reacted to the action.
“We all know how to cover football at a high-end, especially at these networks,” McDonald, who also leads FOX Sports “Big Noon,” told AL.com. “You sit there and go, ‘OK, if the rules were off and you could do whatever you want, what would you do?’”
A joint venture headed by FOX Sports’ $150 million commitment, the spring football league will attempt to provide fans access unparalleled to what they’re used to in the fall. Roughly three million people across two broadcast networks — the first time since Super Bowl I a football game was simulcast — watched the first attempt, per Nielsen.
They attached a pair of SkyCams above the field and microphones to more than 60 players and coaches while a three-man team operated a drone from the suite level, flying through the field and concourses.
McDonald estimated pregame he would have about 30 people in his ear during the game across three trucks and two personnel groups. Only the Super Bowl would draw more crew members to one city. Sister channels like USA Network and FS1 will air some matchups, forcing McDonald and NBC producers to merge the layout of their monitor walls for smoother transitions from the truck.
The league’s opener showed a glimpse of what viewers can expect throughout the 40-game regular season, played across Protective and Legion Field. Touchdowns were followed by on-thefield breakdowns from players. Other features, like the league’s ball-tracking technology, nicknamed “Firsty” in the truck, will eventually be showcased.
During last week’s scrimmages, Klatt and Menefee flew into Birmingham to meet teams and see how the broadcast elements would factor in. They witnessed a blocked punt and interception, perfect plays for a helmet-camera view or tracking shot via the drone. But you can’t script games and McDonald was wary of showing a different angle when it didn’t add to the viewing experience.
“It’s a complete start-up to what we do on Saturday versus what we do Sunday and what we do week five. ... This technology hasn’t been used this way. We’re going to be learning on the fly,” McDonald said.
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Menefee is excited to show a younger generation the sport he fell in love with. Growing up in Atlanta, Menefee saved up a summer’s worth of lawn mowing money to buy a ticket to his first Falcons game. With the USFL, kids under the age of 15 get in for free. Klatt, a former journeyman quarterback himself, enjoys seeing players get another opportunity at the pros.
Both Menefee and Klatt were happy to hear they’d be back in the booth together after doing five weeks of FOX’s XFL coverage before the pandemic shuttered the league. The continuity only helped when McDonald relaunched their group chat last week and the jokes poured in.
“Why didn’t we block that guy?” Riley asked a coach during the first half.
“I don’t know,” Klatt deadpanned from the booth to those watching at home.
Throughout the opening quarter, the drone’s rotors could be heard buzzing near the field. Menefee and Klatt were able to theorize what certain calls meant, with Klatt learning a few tendencies. Huard asked coaches about injuries and schemes live onair. Birmingham’s Skip Holtz said it felt like an all-star game walking the sidelines.
“Our relationship and standing with the USFL is one that we can push the envelope for the fans as far as we possibly can and not affect the game,” Klatt said.