More than two months after completing one of the busiest shows in recent memory for a sports television host, Mike Tirico is recharged and ready to go again.
Tirico will host its fifth Kentucky Derby on Saturday, which includes the Triple Crown, Indianapolis 500, US Open and British Open. Tirico will then begin preparations for the upcoming NFL season as he takes over as the play-by-play voice for “Sunday Night Football”.
“People say you need to rest for the football season. You do this all the time,” said Tirico. “Doing Derby, Preakness, Indy and then going to Brookline and St. Andrews, it’s not work. It’s still fun. So I’m rested, ready to go and looking forward to a great spring and summer.” “
Tirico admitted that his batteries needed to be recharged after the Beijing Winter Games. Hosting the Olympics is one of the most difficult tasks, but Tirico’s was more complicated as he also hosted the Super Bowl from Los Angeles and had a stretch where he covered 12,500 air miles. in less than a week.
They began primetime coverage from Beijing five days before moving back to the US, they did three days in Los Angeles and began the final week from NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
It also does not include Tirico which is hosting the Tokyo Summer Games, calling Notre Dame football and hosting “Football Night in America”.
“I think those two Olympics with the football season in between were definitely a marathon, an ultramarathon in our world,” he said.
While one of the big stories in this year’s Derby will be the absence of trainer Bob Baffert, who was suspended after 2021 winner Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test and was later disqualified. was given.Tirico thinks the second will be the return of the full crowd to Churchill Downs for the first time in three years.
“There is something very special for us about two events that book up to May – the Derby and the Indy 500 – with full crowds. I think it is going to be awesome,” said Tirico. “I did it last month at Augusta I was looking for masters. It felt like the Masters again because of the patrons who were there. I think we’re going to have the same spirit and energy in Derby and Indy.”
After a busy spring and summer, Tirico would move into the “Sunday Night Football” booth full time, a move that had been expected since eventually moving from ESPN to NBC in 2016. He would call the game after Al Michaels with Chris Collinsworth. Signed with Amazon Prime Video for “Thursday Night Football”.
Tirico was also the play-by-play voice for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” from 2006–15, when he also succeeded Michaels.
“Now I am back in the stadium, where I love to be, especially for football. I look forward to next week to find out what weather the trip is going to be in and the places we can visit,” he said.
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