ESPN is moving Booger McFarland from the sidelines to the broadcast booth for Saturday’s AFC Wild Card coverage. Also: Mike Mayock has left TV for the Oakland Raiders, NBC Sports Chicago is preparing for life without the Cubs, and Notre Dame has an exclusive date on ACC Network.
McFarland Moving to Booth For Wild Card Game
ESPN Monday Night Football sideline analyst Booger McFarland will join Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten in the broadcast booth for Saturday’s Colts-Texans AFC Wild Card Game, Sports Business Daily reported Thursday. McFarland spent most of the season contributing from an elevated cart on the sideline (aka the “Boogermobile”). He joined the broadcast booth for the first time in ESPN’s regular season finale, a move the network attributed to inclement weather.
McFarland will also join the broadcast booth on ESPN International’s broadcast of Super Bowl 53.
In other MNF-related news, Tessitore, McFarland and Witten will analyze Monday’s college football national championship as part of ESPN’s “Megacast” production. The trio and NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay will work the game from the “Monday Night Film Room” on-site at Levi’s Stadium. The production replaces the “Coaches Film Room” ESPN has used on previous MegaCast productions. [SBD 1.2, ESPN PR 1.3]
Mayock Exits TV For Raiders Gig
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock has left broadcasting to become general manager of the Oakland Raiders, it was announced earlier this week. Mayock had been with NFL Network since 2005, a stint that included a brief run as lead analyst of Thursday Night Football. Mayock’s broadcasting career has also included stints with ABC, FSN, CBS and, most recently, NBC. [Raiders.com 12.31]
NBC Sports Chicago Extends Others as Cubs Prepare to Leave
NBC Sports Chicago announced Wednesday that it has reached media rights extensions with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox, the first official indication of what has been widely reported, that the Cubs are launching their own network. The Chicago Sun-Times reported late last month that the Cubs would partner with Sinclair Broadcasting — owner of Stadium, Tennis Channel, and numerous right-wing local news outlets — on the new venture. The new NBC Sports Chicago deals kick in later this year, with the Cubs’ new network reportedly set to launch in February of next year.
Under the new deal, NBC Sports Chicago will have exclusive rights to the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox, presumably ending WGN’s run carrying local games in the area. [NBC Sports PR 1.2; Sun-Times 12.19]
Notre Dame Game to Air on ACC Network
Next season’s Notre Dame-Duke college football game will air exclusively on the new ACC Network, ESPN announced last week. It will mark Notre Dame’s first appearance on a conference-specific network. In recent years, Notre Dame has played all of its games either on broadcast television, ESPN or ESPN2, with four exceptions — two games on NBCSN and two more on CBS Sports Network. [ESPN PR 12.29]
