Behind the Mic: Fox’s MLB Broadcast Team; Fox, NBC Announce USFL Lineups

Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, Fox announces its MLB studio lineup, and Fox and NBC reveal their USFL broadcast teams.

Fox Reveals Complete 2022 MLB Broadcast Team

Fox Sports enters into a new era for its 27th season of Major League Baseball coverage with a star-studded lineup in-studio and in the broadcast booth.

Throughout the regular season in the Fox Sports studio, Kevin Burkhardt and Eric Karros are joined by host Chris Myers, World Series champion pitcher Dontrelle Willis, Hall of Famer Frank Thomas and former MLB first baseman Mark Sweeney for select events.

In addition, World Series champions Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz join the studio for special events, including the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard and MLB at Field of Dreams game presented by GEICO, and the network’s coverage of the MLB Postseason.

As previously announced, Joe Davis moves into the lead play-by-play role joining first-ballot Hall of Famer and Emmy Award winner John Smoltz in the Fox MLB booth. Davis, tapped in 2017 to take over for Vin Scully, legendary voice of the Dodgers, joins Smoltz for regular season games, the 2022 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard MLB at Field of Dreams game presented by GEICO and MLB Postseason.

Throughout the season, announcers Adam Amin and Eric Karros are joined by World Series champion catcher A.J. Pierzynski and Emmy Award-winning reporter Tom Verducci in contributing to Fox MLB game coverage.

Set to broadcast 40 MLB games this regular season, Fox Deportes’ premier talent lineup is led by renowned play-by-play announcer Adrian Garcia Marquez and former MLB infielder and Mexico National Team manager Edgar Gonzalez. Joining the team throughout the season are veteran broadcasters Carlos Alvarez and Jaime Motta.

Fox Sports offers exclusive coverage across its digital and social platforms, including the Fox Sports app and FoxSports.com. Former professional baseball player Ben Verlander rolls into his second season with the award-winning podcast, Flippin’ Bats With Ben Verlander. The podcast, part of the Fox Sports Podcast Network, delivers weekly conversations with some of today’s top players. Verlander contributes original written content.

Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman return for their second season with Fox Sports, offering their unique perspective and analysis of MLB and all levels of the game. The minds behind the popular @CespedesBBQ social accounts, Mintz and Shusterman will contribute regular written storytelling, along with video and social content.

Pedro Moura, now in his 10th year covering Major League Baseball, is FoxSports.com’s Senior National MLB writer.

Fox Announces USFL Broadcast Team

Fox Sports has announced its complete 2022 USFL broadcast team, led by Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Curt Menefee alongside analyst Joel Klatt, the network’s longtime lead college football analyst.

Play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler and analyst Mark Sanchez also contribute to Fox Sports’ USFL coverage. Analyst Brock Huard also weighs in from the sidelines in select USFL matchups.

Menefee is best known for his hosting work on Fox NFL Sunday, television’s most-watched NFL pregame show for 28 years. Klatt is Fox Sports’ go-to college football expert, calling the network’s top games on Big Noon Saturday, the most-watched regular season college football time slot across any network.

Kugler provides play-by-play for myriad Fox Sports properties, including the NFL, MLB and college basketball. A veteran NFL quarterback, Sanchez transitioned to the broadcast booth in 2019 and joined Fox Sports last year as an NFL analyst. The duo was paired in the booth for the 2021-22 NFL on Fox season. Huard, an NFL veteran with extensive broadcast experience, has served as an NFL and college football analyst for Fox Sports since 2019.

The new USFL kicks off with the Generals taking on the Stallions on April 16 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern from Birmingham, Alabama. The inaugural game will air in a special simulcast on Fox and NBC, making it the first scheduled event to air on competing broadcast networks since Super Bowl I in 1967.

The action continues April 17 with the Houston Gamblers vs. the Michigan Panthers at noon ET on NBC and the Philadelphia Stars vs. the New Orleans Breakers at 4 p.m. ET on USA Network. Kickoff weekend concludes with the Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Pittsburgh Maulers at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

The 2022 USFL 10-week regular season will run through mid-June from Birmingham, followed by a two-week playoff contested in Canton, Ohio, culminating with the championship set for July 3.

NBC Reveals USFL Commentators

NBC Sports has announced its commentators for the inaugural USFL season, which kicks off April 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET between the New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions on NBC, Peacock and Fox from Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.

NBC Sports’ Jac Collinsworth and Paul Burmeister will handle play-by-play duties. Collinsworth’s wide-ranging assignments at NBC Sports have included NBC’s Super Bowl LVI Pregame Show, co-hosting Football Night in America from on location at the Sunday Night Football site, hosting Notre Dame football coverage, and play-by-play commentary for Atlantic 10 basketball. Burmeister, a former Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback, has handled play-by-play duties for NBC Sports’ coverage of Notre Dame Football, the All-American Bowl, and Atlantic 10 basketball. Burmeister is also the radio play-by-play voice of Notre Dame Football.

Analysts include former Dallas Cowboys head coach and NFL quarterback Jason Garrett, former NFL fullback and NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson and New Orleans Saints defensive end and seven-time Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan.

Garrett, who served as the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator the past two seasons, amassed an 85-67 record over 10 seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach, including three NFC East division titles and three trips to the NFL Playoffs. A 13-year NFL veteran who currently serves as an NFL Network analyst, Robinson won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2011 before retiring following the 2013 season. Jordan has 107 career sacks, the second-most in Saints history (since 1982), and has 12-plus sacks in four of the past five seasons.

NBC Sports’ sideline reporters for the 2022 USFL season are Zora Stephenson, who also served as an NBC Olympics reporter and contributor for the Beijing Olympics, worked as a sideline reporter for NBC Sports’ ‘Truth and Service Classic’ HBCU football game, and is a sideline reporter for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, and Corey Robinson, an NBC Sports host and reporter and former Notre Dame wide receiver. NBC Sports’ Sara Perlman will host halftime and post-game coverage.

NBC Sports and Fox Sports, the USFL’s official media partners, will combine to present all 43 games live this inaugural season. For the 2022 USFL season, NBC Sports will present 22 games on NBC (9), USA Network (9), and Peacock (4), which will also stream all games broadcast on NBC. Fox Sports will carry 22 games split between Fox (14) and FS1 (8). The combined regular-season coverage on NBC and Fox will give the USFL 22 broadcast windows, more than any regularly scheduled sport in the first half of 2022.

The USFL inaugural kickoff game on April 16 between the New Jersey Generals and the Birmingham Stallions will be presented live on Fox, NBC, and Peacock at 7:30 p.m. ET. It is the first scheduled sports competition to air at the same time on two competitive networks since Super Bowl I broadcasted on NBC and CBS, January 15, 1967. (NOTE: A December 29, 2007 NFL game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants was broadcast on CBS, NBC and NFL Network, in a scheduling adjustment that was made in the days leading up to the game.)

For this historic game, NBC Sports will provide pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage which will air on both networks, utilizing its on-air, production, and technical personnel. Fox Sports will produce the game coverage, which both networks will carry, using its broadcasters, production, and technical staff, and the same commercials will run on each network throughout the broadcast.