Seen on Screen: NBC Sports Reminisces About Great Sports Moments With New Podcast Series; ESPN Gets Moving With Peloton All-Star Ride

Seen on Screen provides a roundup of the current sports programming landscape as networks deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In this week’s edition, major networks like NBC Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN are combating the silence of no live sports with previously-released, taped, or archival content. Many networks have also continued producing live studio content – often with on-air talent located remotely.

NBC Sports Regional Networks is debuting a new six-episode podcast anthology series, Sports Uncovered, that re-examines some of the most memorable and compelling storylines and events in sports history, beginning Thursday, May 28. New episodes will publish each Thursday through July 2.

The original storytelling franchise utilizes exclusive, in-depth interviews with prominent participants, witnesses, and experts to explore new, underreported, or forgotten aspects of well-known topics centered in each of the NBC Sports Regional Networks markets.

Sports Uncovered episodes cover the following topics: Michael Jordan’s NBA return, in-depth looks at Bill Belichick and the late Sean Taylor, the story behind Barret Robbins’ Super Bowl disappearance, the University of Oregon’s uniform revolution, and the Philadelphia Flyers’ marathon five-overtime thriller.

NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico introduces each podcast episode and each are available for download on all major podcast platforms, including NBCSports.com/podcasts, NBC Sports’ Scores app, Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and iHeart.

Here is the schedule:

“I’m Back” (May 28)

• How a two-word fax from Michael Jordan changed the course of NBA history, plus never-before-heard stories about his secret workouts with another NBA team.
• Featured Guests:
  • David Falk, Jordan’s longtime agent
    Steve Kerr, Eight-time NBA champion
    Chris Mullin, Basketball Hall of Famer
    Dominique Wilkins, Basketball Hall of Famer
    The Bill Belichick You Don’t Know

“The Bill Belichick You Don’t Know” (June 4)

• Bill Belichick’s closest confidants reveal the side of the New England Patriots head coach the public doesn’t get to see.
• Featured Guests:
  • Doug Flutie, Former Patriots quarterback and NBC Sports Notre Dame Football analyst
    Rodney Harrison, Former Patriots defensive back and NBC Sports’ Football Night in America analyst
    Charlie Weis, Former Patriots offensive coordinator
    The Uniform Craze That Revolutionized College Football

“The Uniform Craze That Revolutionized College Football” (June 11)

• How the University of Oregon ignited a fashion arms race across the NCAA and all sports, by going from having Donald Duck as its mascot to trendsetting Nike uniforms that attracted five-star recruits to Eugene.
• Featured Guests:
  • Mike Bellotti, Former Oregon football head coach
    Tinker Hatfield, Nike designer
    Joey Harrington, Former Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist

“Sean Taylor, the NFL Superstar We Didn’t Get to Know” (June 18)

• Untold stories that explain why the NFL’s biggest stars revere Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins safety who was killed at 24 while protecting his family.
• Featured Guests:
  • Landon Collins, Redskins safety
    Joe Gibbs, Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Redskins head coach
    Drew Rosenhaus, Taylor’s agent
    Jonathan Vilma, Taylor’s college teammate and three-time Pro Bowl linebacker

“Marathon on Ice” (June 25)

• How the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins survived seven hours of playoff hockey as they battled in the longest game of the NHL’s modern era.
• Featured Guests:
  • Brian Boucher, Former Flyers goalie and NBC Sports hockey analyst
    Keith Jones, Former Flyers forward and NBC Sports hockey analyst
    Chris Therien, Former Flyers defenseman
    The Mysterious Disappearance That Changed a Super Bowl

“The Mysterious Disappearance that Changed a Super Bowl” (July 2)

• Barret Robbins in his own words — from prison — revealing the real reasons why he disappeared and missed playing in the Raiders’ loss in Super Bowl XXXVII.
• Featured Guests:
  • Barret Robbins, Former Raiders center
    Tim Brown, Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Raiders wide receiver
    Bill Romanowski, Former Raiders linebacker and four-time Super Bowl champion…

…ESPN will air Peloton’s first-ever All-Star Ride on Saturday, May 30, featuring 16 pro-athlete participants (eight male and eight female) from across the sports landscape, all of whom are current Peloton members. The ride will air on ESPN at noon ET and consist of two 20-minute classes, with Peloton instructor Alex Toussaint leading the men’s division and Robin Arzon teaching the women’s division. The rider with the highest output number (the combination of a rider’s cadence and resistance) in each of the two rides will be declared the winner for his or her respective division. If the participating pro athletes collectively reach an output of 3,000, Peloton will donate one million meals to the Food Bank for New York City. ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco and Peloton instructor Ally Love will provide commentary for the one-hour special.

The Peloton All-Star Ride will be available for Peloton members on-demand on the Peloton Bike or App after the show airs, allowing them to ride alongside the pros on the interactive leaderboard.

The celebrity lineup-up includes stars from the worlds of professional golf, tennis, swimming, track and field, NFL, NBA, women’s college basketball, collegiate gymnastics, and fastpitch softball. Among the riders are a total of 25 Olympic medals, a Grand Slam Winner, NCAA Champions, a two-time Masters winner, and a two-time Super Bowl Champion. Riders representing the men’s and women’s divisions are as follows:

Men’s Division

• Mike Golic, Jr.: ESPN analyst and former Notre Dame Football standout
• Matt Grevers: Six-time Olympic medalist, American swimmer
• Gordon Hayward: NBA All-Star currently with the Boston Celtics
• Booger McFarland: ESPN analysts and two-time NFL Super Bowl Champion
• Rory McIlroy: Current No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and member of both the European and PGA Tours
• Kyle Rudolph: Two-time Pro Bowl tight-end for the Minnesota Vikings
• Justin Thomas: 12-time PGA Tour event winner and current No. 4 ranked golfer in the world (OWGR)
• Bubba Watson: 12-time PGA Tour event winner, two-time Masters Champion (2012, ’14)

Women’s Division

• Victoria Azarenka: Professional tennis player with 20 WTA wins and two Grand Slam singles titles (Australian Open 2012, ’13)
• Allyson Felix: An American track and field sprinter who is tied for the most decorated female Olympian in track and field history with nine medals and is the most decorated athlete, male or female, in World Athletics Championships history with 18 career medals
• Morgan Pressel: Professional golfer on the LPGA Tour and was the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open (2001)
• Monica Puig: Professional tennis player and the reigning Olympic gold medalist
• Colleen Quigley:  Professional American middle-distance runner and 2016 Olympian, 2015 NCAA Champion in Steeplechase
• Kyla Ross: A gymnast who won team gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics as a member of the “Fierce Five,” also the first gymnast to become an Olympic, World and NCAA Champion
• Michele Smith: ESPN analyst and former international and Women’s National Team fastpitch softball player who won gold at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics
• Dawn Staley: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame basketball player and coach, current head coach of the South Carolina women’s basketball team that took home the 2017 NCAA National Championship