ESPN’s First Take will play host to a Mike & the Mad Dog reunion. Plus: SB Nation hockey and soccer sites affected by Vox’s layoffs; FOX will not put Tom Brady in the Super Bowl booth.
Mike Francesa and Chris Russo to reunite on First Take
For the first time since their show’s conclusion in 2008, Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo will reunite on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith. The February 1 episode will not feature any other co-hosts. Francesa and Russo hosted the critically acclaimed Mike & the Mad Dog on New York City sports radio from 1989 to 2008. For the past year, Russo has served as Smith’s opponent on Wednesdays as part of a rotating cast since Max Kellerman left in 2021. Francesa has most recently been hosting The Mike Francesa Podcast on the BetRivers Network since unretiring. While the pair have had a contentious relationship in the past, a First Take reunion had been floated, with early reports indicating that the ball was in Francesa’s court. (Awful Announcing 1.19)
Vox layoffs include SB Nation hockey and soccer sites
Vox Media announced a layoff of approximately 7% of their employees via an internal memo. Popular sports blogging website SB Nation falls under the Vox Media umbrella. According to Awful Announcing, several of these layoffs have included prominent men’s and women’s hockey and soccer blog writers while also ending support for the sites. Other layoffs included social teams and basketball podcasts. It remains to be seen if these sites will still function without the Vox/SB Nation support. (Awful Announcing 1.20)
Fox not putting Tom Brady in the Super Bowl booth
The Athletic‘s Richard Deitsch reported that Fox Sports has no plans to use Tom Brady in its Super Bowl broadcast booth and will stick with Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen. He also reported that no decision has been made on whether or not Brady will be part of the pregame coverage in some aspect. A previous Front Office Sports report indicated that, should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fail to appear in the game, Brady was very much going to be used in FOX’s Super Bowl coverage. In May 2022, Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million deal to be Fox Sports’ lead NFL analyst whenever he retires. (Deitsch/Twitter 1.18)
