Copyright Chicago Sun-Times
A friend of mine was looking for coverage to watch of the NFL trade deadline Tuesday afternoon. As a YouTube TV subscriber, this poor soul needed an alternative to ESPN because of a carriage dispute between the network and YouTube. Surely, he thought, NFL Network would have complete coverage of what was turning into an eventful day. When he turned it on, he saw a replay of “Good Morning Football.” He thought he might’ve been too early for the coverage, so he checked back later, only to find a replay of the Cardinals-Cowboys game from the night before. What in the world? What he missed were snippets of coverage that broke in during the replayed programming. A few minutes here, a longer report there. Finally, at 3 p.m., “The Insiders” came on with a recap of all the trades. By then, ESPN had aired two straight hours of dedicated programming, a trade-deadline special followed by “NFL Live.” The NFL trade deadline used to come and go without a peep, but lately it looks more like the MLB trade deadline – which gets tons of coverage on MLB Network (more on that later). Why NFL Network handled its coverage so haphazardly is inexplicable. The network missed an opportunity with ESPN unavailable to about 10 million YouTube TV subscribers. But this NFL Network is a shadow of its former self. While the league essentially prints money, the network has made significant reductions in programming and staff. Viewers saw the repercussions of that Tuesday. NFL Network’s daily live programming largely consists of “Good Morning Football,” “NFL Fantasy Live” and “The Insiders.” Remember “NFL Total Access”? That was a daily show of record until it was cut in 2024. Further back, I was particularly partial to “Playbook,” which was cut in 2019. The network could look a whole lot different next season, when ESPN is expected to take over the operation. It’ll be interesting to see how ESPN combines its NFL staff with that of NFL Network’s. The hope is that ESPN invests in the network and remakes it a destination for NFL content, thus avoiding the situation that happened Tuesday. NFL Network was the first TV network launched among the major U.S. leagues, and for a while it was the best. That isn’t the case anymore. Here’s how I rank them: 1. MLB Network During baseball season, I could leave the channel on all day. From the morning show “MLB Central” through the new “MLB Tonight: National Pregame Show,” it provides quantity and quality. This past season, the network produced the most content it ever has with 11 studio shows, ranging from serious to irreverent. There’s “MLB Now,” called “the show for the thinking fan”, hosted by Brian Kenny, and the entertaining “Intentional Talk,” with former Cub Ryan Dempster and Kevin Millar. The wonderful whiparound show “Big Inning,” which shows four games at once, aired more often. And, unlike it’s NFL counterpart, the network had 10 straight hours of coverage of the trade deadline. 2. NHL Network Hockey ahead of football? In this country? Darn right. Since 2015, MLB Network has operated NHL Network out of its Secaucus, New Jersey, studio. The synergy is apparent not just by the graphics and shared hosts, but by the production quality. Though it doesn’t have nearly the number of shows as MLB Network, it keeps hockey fans informed with talk show “NHL Tonight: First Shift,” pregame show “NHL Now,” live-look-in show “NHL Tonight” and recap show “On The Fly.” And on trade-deadline day, it hunkers down. Last season, it aired seven hours of coverage, consisting of Sportsnet’s “Hockey Central” and a three-hour edition of “NHL Tonight.” 3. NFL Network What the network does, it does well. It has comprehensive coverage of tentpole events, including Super Bowl week, the scouting combine and the draft. But during the season, it leaves a lot to be desired. The NFL had been trying to sell some of its media properties for so long, it’s no wonder it cut the network to the bone. It even disrupted the most popular show, “Good Morning Football,” by moving it last year from New York to the network’s studio in Los Angeles. For the most popular league in the country, its network deserves much better. 4. NBA TV With TNT Sports no longer operating NBA TV, the league retook and “reimagined” its network, which needed help. It has a new weeknight flagship show, “The Association,” featuring a rotating panel of former players. It also airs podcasts and programs from across the basketball universe, as well as games from international leagues and the WNBA. The league wants NBA TV to be “the home of global basketball.” But it’s arguable whether it’s the home of American basketball. It’s early in NBA TV’s reimagined state. Let’s give it some time. Remote patrol Jason Benetti, Robert Griffin III and Alexa Landes will call Northwestern’s game at 8 p.m. Friday at No. 20 USC on Fox 32. Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen have No. 10 Notre Dame’s game against Navy at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC 5. Joe Davis, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver will call the Bears’ game against the Giants at noon Sunday on Fox 32. They last saw the Bears in their preseason game against the Bills.
