With the NFL season starting this week, SportsCenter will undergo more changes — just weeks after going live on weekday mornings.
An extra hour of SportsCenter has been added on Sunday mornings: one at 8 AM and the other at 10. In previous years, a half-hour edition would air at 9 AM, with another at 10:30. The new Sunday morning shows will be hosted by Cindy Brunson, David Lloyd, Bob Ley and Hannah Storm. Emmitt Smith — late of Sunday NFL Countdown — will provide analysis.
The Sunday evening SportsCenter will have even more of an overhaul, as John Saunders and Chris Berman have been brought in to host. ESPN NFL analyst Tom Jackson will join Berman, as the duo returns to the timeslot formerly occupied by NFL Primetime. Berman, Saunders and Jackson made up the original team for NFL Primetime when it debuted in 1987.
Both Sunday SportsCenters will be heavily NFL-centric, with the morning edition serving as a preview of the day ahead and the evening version looking back at the day’s games. The evening SportsCenter will resemble ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage, as it will feature graphics displaying “statistics, injury reports, fantasy football stats and other relevant news.” Keep in mind NBC has the “exclusive rights to the extensive highlights packages” of NFL games, meaning “the show likely will be light on highlights.”
