FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 1st, 2018

MIKE TIRICO INTERVIEWS AL MICHAELS & TALKS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ON LATEST EPISODE OF “THE MIKE TIRICO PODCAST”

“He would hate social media. He would hate talk radio… he would describe it as a ‘cacophony of crap.’” – Al Michaels on what Howard Cosell would think of the current sports media landscape

“I still say they made a mistake when they started by picking four teams.” – Tirico on the College Football Playoff format

Episodes Released on Thursday Mornings – Click Here to Listen

STAMFORD, Conn. – November 1, 2018 Mike Tirico interviews legendary Sunday Night Football play-by-play voice Al Michaels and also discusses the College Football Playoff on the latest episode of The Mike Tirico Podcast, available now across all podcast platforms.

In this week’s episode, Michaels talks about the attributes that make a great television sports analyst, what play-by-play commentator Howard Cosell would think about the current sports media landscape, and his thoughts on sports gambling in broadcasting.

Tirico also shares his thoughts on both the pros and cons of the College Football Playoff after participating in a CFP mock committee with various members of the media.

This marks the fourth episode of The Mike Tirico Podcast, following the most recent episode that featured an interview with Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Click here for excerpts from Tirico’s interview with Rodgers and to listen to the full episode.

The Mike Tirico Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and podcasting apps.

Following are highlights from this week’s episode:

Michaels on what makes a great analyst: “You have to have an analyst who not only works hard, but understand the essence of television. Once they do that, then you know you’ve hit gold…in this day and age where there are so many games, what separates the really good guys from everybody else? They get television. They get what it’s about, and they understand how to communicate.”

Michaels on discussing broadcasting with analyst and former NHL goalie Ken Dryden prior to 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid: “We met in Moscow in late 1979 at the Izvestia Tournament, which featured all of the great teams from around the world that would be in the Olympics…we start to talk about the difference between international hockey and the NHL. Ken describes over a three-minute period the difference between the two disciplines of hockey, then says to me, ‘Do you think this is the kind of thing that would interest the viewer?’ I said, ‘Absolutely, but here’s what you have to do. Can you get it down to eight seconds?’”

Michaels on if Howard Cosell would enjoy the sports media landscape today: “No. Not at all. Howard would thumb his nose at just about everything. He would hate social media. He would hate talk radio…if I had to figure out a phrase that Howard might use to describe where we are today in the sports media landscape, he would describe it as a ‘cacophony of crap.’”

Tirico on the College Football Playoff format: “I still say they made a mistake when they started by picking four teams, because there are five major conferences and Notre Dame as stakeholders in all of this. Why would you only split the profit four ways? What if this year two teams from the SEC get in? And Notre Dame is undefeated? …I think they should go to eight teams. Each conference champion goes, the six spot goes to the best team from that group of six conferences as long as that team is in the top dozen nationally, and the other two spots are at-large.”

–NBC SPORTS–