FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

“Star Spangled Sundays,” a Four-Part Special on the Business of the NFL, Debuts Tuesday, January 8 on NBC Sports Network

Produced by Ross Greenburg Productions and NFL Films, Star Spangled Sundays Documents the Rise in Popularity the NFL and the Creation of the Country’s No. 1 Sport

NEW YORK – January 2, 2013 – With 29 of the 30 most-watched shows on television this season, nothing in American society has the cultural power of the National Football League. Six decades ago, when baseball was king and boxing ruled the television screen, the idea of professional football as a cultural titan was unimaginable. So, how did it happen? How did the NFL go from a business that lost money in the late 1940’s into the most powerful sports entity on the planet? What transformed it from a sport where players were lucky to make a couple of hundred dollars per game to a goliath where some earn more than $100 million per year in salary and endorsements?

Contrary to popular perception, the creation of this sports empire was not solely based on blocking, tackling or Broadway Joe Namath. The NFL did not become number one by accident or by destiny. The NFL’s ascendance was, in part, the product of sound, sometimes brilliant, business decisions.

NBC Sports Network presents Star Spangled Sundays, a four-part special that will document the rise of the NFL to become the most-popular sport in America. Star Spangled Sundays, debuts Tuesday, January 8 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Following are the scheduled original airdates for the four-part series:

Episode I:  Rise of a Colossus – Tuesday, January 8 at 10 p.m. ET. Deft handling of the new medium of television vaults the National Football League from America’s fourth most popular sport into a cultural and financial titan.

Episode II:  Labor PainsTuesday, January 15 (Time TBD). NFL players and owners work to create labor peace in the NFL’s $9 billion industry.

Episode III:  Brand NFLTuesday, January 22 (Time TBD). Riding a cultural and demographic tidal wave, the NFL turns professional football into a year-round, revenue-generating business and has become the most powerful brand in American sports.

Episode IV:  Super SundayTuesday, January 29 (Time TBD).  The NFL transforms the Super Bowl into the biggest entertainment event on the American calendar.

INTERVIEW SUBJECTS INCLUDE:

Roger Goodell – NFL Commissioner

DeMaurice Smith – Executive Director of NFLPA

Bill Carter – New York Times

Paul Tagliabue – Former NFL Commissioner

Jerry Jones – Dallas Cowboys Owner

Robert Kraft – New England Patriots Owner

Bob Costas – NBC Commentator

Al Michaels – NBC Commentator

Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com

Mike Singletary – Hall-of-Fame NFL Linebacker and former 49ers Head Coach

Bobby Mitchell – Former NFL Running Back

Bill Curry – Former NFL player

Steve Bornstein – NFL’s Executive Vice President of Media; President and CEO of the NFL Network

Tom Condon – NFL agent

Joe Browne – NFL Senior Advisor

Carl Peterson – Former President, CEO, GM, Kansas City Chiefs

Don Ohlmeyer – Former Television Producer/Executive

David Hill – Former Chairman, Fox Sports

Upton Bell – Son of former NFL Commissioner Bert Bell)

Richard Berthelsen – Former counsel NFLPA

Joe Horrigan – Vice President, Communications: Pro Football Hall of Fame

Donnie Deutsch – Advertising Executive and television personality

Donald Trump – Business Magnate

Kurt Badenhausen – Forbes

Michael Ozanian – Forbes

David Harris – Author/reporter

Michael MacCambridge – Author of America’s Game

Michael Oriard – Author of Brand NFL, King Football, Reading Football

Steve Rosenbloom – Son of former Colts/Rams owner Carroll Rosenbloom

Allen St. John – Author of Billion Dollar Game

Jimmy Walsh – Joe Namath’s agent

Gregg Easterbrook – Writer, ESPN.com

Indra Nooyi – CEO of Pepsi

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–