FILE – In this Sept. 5, 2019, file photo, NBC sportscaster Mike Tirico works the sidelines during an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears in Chicago. Despite last-minute schedule changes, pregame features being done remotely and announcers being separated by more than six feet and plexiglass, networks have been able to weather the challenges of airing games during a pandemic. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes, File)
Mike Tirico heads into the biggest broadcast stretch of his career, calling his first Super Bowl for NBC before boarding a flight to Italy to anchor the network’s Olympic coverage. The veteran play‑by‑play voice said the back‑to‑back assignments are “the best kind of challenge,” as NBC prepares for a rare handoff from the NFL’s championship game to live coverage from Milan and Cortina.
His First Super Bowl Play-By-Play
Mike Tirico said calling his first Super Bowl is “the honor of a career,” as NBC manages the logistics of a broadcast doubleheader unlike anything the network has attempted. He added that the assignment carries “a responsibility to the audience and to the game,” noting that the production team has focused on delivering “a clean, smart telecast that lets the football breathe.”
From Super Bowl To The Olympics
Coordinating producer Rob Hyland said the network has spent months preparing for the transition from the Super Bowl booth to Olympic primetime. “We’re navigating uncharted waters,” Hyland said. “Mike will finish the biggest game in American sports and immediately shift into the biggest global event we broadcast.”
Tirico downplayed the grind of the schedule, saying the unusual weekend is part of what makes the job special. “You don’t complain when you get to do the Super Bowl and the Olympics in the same breath,” he said.
Olympics After Super Bowl
NBC executives expect the Super Bowl to serve as a massive lead‑in to the opening night of Olympic coverage, creating one of the largest combined audiences in network history. Hyland called the alignment “a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity” to showcase both properties on the same day.
Tirico said the goal is to deliver a broadcast that feels “big, but not overproduced,” emphasizing clarity, pacing and storytelling. “Our job is to get it right and get out of the way,” he said.
NBC will air Super Bowl LX on Sunday and stream it on Peacock, with live Olympic coverage from Italy following immediately afterward. The network and its streaming platform are staring down a massive two‑week stretch as they move from the NFL’s championship game straight into the Winter Games.
