Welcome back to “On the Air,” in which Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters, on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry.
When it aired its first NFL game on Christmas Day 2024, Netflix relied on established voices like Ian Eagle, Greg Olsen, and Laura Rutledge. There was some flash and flair — like comedian Nate Bargatze — but the game coverage was similar in feel to what viewers would see and hear on a typical Sunday afternoon.
In its MLB debut, Netflix did not exercise as much restraint. To be fair, viewers should have expected some bells and whistles, given the streamer’s “eventize” strategy. The Netflix method is to turn live events into an extravaganza that demands our attention and compels us to keep our eyes glued to our devices.
But Wednesday night’s broadcast was, at times, a bewildering maze replete with production errors, cheap attempts at comedy, and a glut of promotional ballyhoo with sprinkles of baseball talk in between.
Pregame host Elle Duncan has her detractors, and the reasons for the complaints vary, but she is skilled at creating a relaxed atmosphere for her on-air colleagues. It’s one of the reasons her time as ESPN’s women’s basketball host was so well-received. That vibe was evident, as she engaged her analysts Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Anthony Rizzo. Given his many rancorous run-ins with the media over the course of his controversial career, Bonds’ mere presence at the desk was surreal.
It became clear early that Netflix was going to use the new audience to weave in all kinds of cross-promotional content. That can have its place, but the broadcast was inundated with it. From the appearances of WWE wrestlers Jey Uso, Jacob Fatu and the now-retired John Cena to the bizarre moments viewers were forced to share with Bert Kreischer, Netflix seemed to forget that viewers were there to watch the game.
Overall, the moving parts were a lot for the viewer to digest. Having recognized baseball broadcasting veterans Matt Vasgersian and Lauren Shehadi helped. Vasgersian’s comfortable play-by-play provided some stability during an often-disjointed broadcast. He was joined in the booth by Hunter Pence and CC Sabathia. If there’s anything sports television loves, it’s a Hall-of-Famer who played in New York, and Sabathia fits the bill — but he also showed the nerves of a broadcasting novice. There is time to improve, should Sabathia seek to continue working games.
In the fourth inning, Yankees SS Jose Caballero challenged a called strike on a pitch from Giants hurler Logan Webb. At the time, however, viewers were watching an interview with Shehadi and Giants manager Tony Vitello. One would have hoped that given the significance of the moment — the first automated ball-strike challenge in history — the interview would’ve been interrupted to allow Vasgersian the room to convey what was happening in real time.
The following inning did Netflix no favors. While no one expected the conversation with commissioner Rob Manfred to be hard-hitting, there are important topics in baseball that need to be discussed. The booth failed to capitalize on an opportunity to ask Manfred about the end of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and potential 2027 lockout. Instead, we learned that Manfred’s first Opening Day was at Shea Stadium in the late 1980s.
In an interview earlier this week with Front Office Sports, Duncan said about Netflix’s philosophy, “Break things, think big, we’ll see if it was a mistake.”
Thinking big is expected for a company looking to make a spectacle of its most prominent events. But the key to covering any game is to document the game. Netflix’s presentation on Wednesday night was more appropriate for something like the Home Run Derby, but for the first game of the regular season, the streamer needed more commitment to the teams on the field.
Plus: The consistency of Clark Kellogg
Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith have now been covering the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for 15 years, often drawing complaints from college fans on social media for their perceived lack of knowledge about the sport and its participants. Rarely, however, do viewers grouse about Clark Kellogg, who has shared the main CBS/TNT Sports studio desk with them for most of that time.
It seems hard to believe but Kellogg has been CBS’ steady voice of authority for nearly 30 years. His use of colorful phrases like “squeeze the orange,” “stat sheet stuffer” and “spurtability” give CBS’ studio coverage a certain old-school charm.
For years, Kellogg has flown under the radar — never a self-promoter, always team first. That unselfishness was put to the test when TNT Sports added Barkley and Smith. Kellogg was forced to relinquish some of his air time to analysts who don’t cover the sport during the regular season.
To accommodate Barkley and Smith, Kellogg had to adjust by loosening up and leaning in to the freewheeling brand of broadcasting that has characterized TNT Sports for decades. Kellogg’s evolution has not only helped create space for the TNT personalities, it’s led to some memorable moments. In 2023, Barkley confessed on set with late host Greg Gumbel, Kellogg, and Smith that during his playing days, he would wash his jersey while showering in it. Kellogg’s uproarious laughter and Barkley’s deadpan delivery turned the comedic segment into television gold.
Earlier this week, Kellogg was nominated for a Sports Emmy for best studio analyst. Names like Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale may be considered more prominent, but Kellogg’s polished on-air performance and his willingness to share the microphone have made him one of March’s most important voices.
