With the MLB postseason upon us and heavyweight markets/clubs in the mix for the World Series, FOX Sports geared up for its NL run and World Series run last week with the announcements that Alex Rodriguez would return to the studio as an analyst, and would be making his first appearance of the postseason this Friday for the start of the NLDS. Cynopsis Sports spoke with John Entz, President of Production & Executive Producer, FOX Sports about the company’s postseason plans, Rodriquez and pairing Joe Buck and John Smoltz.
On lessons learned from MLB 2016: We are reassured that this game is still strong. The game has so many great stories to tell, and many young stars to help continue that momentum into the years ahead. Overall, as far as consuming the game, a large majority are still watching on television but with that said, our non-linear distribution channels, like FOX Sports GO, are seeing growth. We see streaming as additive to what we do on the linear side and are delivering live content for people when they cannot get to a TV set.
On the Buck/Smoltz combo: We love the quick chemistry that Joe and John developed this season and like what we have moving forward. And yes, they will be our lead team next year.
On bringing back Rodriquez: I can’t say enough good things about Alex. We always knew he would be great on TV but what we were surprised by last year was just how quickly he picked it up. His on-the-field accomplishments alone would lift anyone’s coverage but add to that how comfortable he is in front of the camera and how well he gets along with the other guys on set we’re lucky to have him.
On other postseason plans: We have a few really interesting baseball-themed original programs that Jamie (Horowitz) & Charlie’s (Dixon) teams have been working on. One is a film I want to highlight is on the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s called “Brothers Forever and is produced and directed by Pittsburgh native and award-winning filmmaker Antoine Fuqua. The story documents the ’71 Pirates, who fielded MLB’s first all-minority starting lineup on their way to winning the World Series that year. The film illustrates how baseball has historically been a thread of American fabric that has helped to break racial barriers and bigotry.
