Pre-game show

Presentation before the live broadcast of a sporting event

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Pre-game show" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with North America and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

A pre-game, pregame, or pre-match show is a television or radio presentation that occurs immediately before the live broadcast of a major sporting event. They typically feature previews and analysis relating to upcoming games (either a larger fixture, or a single game), including panel discussions, reports filed from the sites of the day's game, interviews with players and other personnel (such as coaches), and other feature segments.

The networks that broadcast the NFL were the first networks to create and air pre-game shows. CBS was the first to broadcast a sports pre-game show in 1964, when the network launched a 15-minute regional sports program that interviewed players and coaches and featured news and features about the league. The show aired immediately before games on CBS. The show originated in studio and live from the fields, and featured broadcaster Jack Buck. In 1967, the show grew to 30 minutes in length and in 1976, aired a new 90-minute “Super Bowl Special” before Super Bowl X. The show moved to two hours long in 1984 and featured 11 broadcasters, 13 producers and four directors.[1]

FOX created its own pre-game show when it won the rights to broadcast NFC games in 1994. The network hired James Brown to host the show, Fox NFL Sunday, and brought on analysts such as Terry Bradshaw to lead the coverage. In 2006, Brown left the network to return to CBS and host their pre-game show, The NFL Today.

NBC launched its own version of a pre-game show – Grandstand – in 1975, and not only featured NFL programming, but other sporting events around the nation. The show led up to the NFL's 1 p.m. games but covered college football, golf, tennis and many other sports and topics. The network hired Jack Buck to host the show and the show didn't just preview that day's NFL games but did investigative pieces on a variety of topics.[2]

Pre-game shows generally run for 30 minutes to one hour, though on special occasions (such as championship games), it is not uncommon to air longer pre-game shows (with the Super Bowl now typically airing one across the entire afternoon prior to its evening kickoff).[3]

While most pre-game shows are done in a studio, some shows may broadcast from the site of a particular game, usually for marquee events or championship games. ESPN's College GameDay franchise (which it broadcasts for college football and basketball) regularly broadcasts live from the campuses of schools hosting the day's biggest game (or in some cases, a game that the network wishes to highlight) and—most frequently on its football version—is often attended by an audience of fans that serve as a backdrop to the studio panel.[4][5]

Professional wrestling pay-per-view events often feature a pre-show; in a similar manner to sports pre-game shows, they preview matches that will be held during the event, and feature analysis and recaps of storylines. Their main purpose is to promote the show to potential viewers that have not yet purchased the PPV, hence they are usually broadcast for free via barker channels, on a promotion's television partner, or more recently, live streamed via a promotion's social media outlets (such as YouTube). A pre-show may also feature one or more undercard matches.[6][7]

## See also

[edit]

* Halftime show
* Post-game show
* List of AFL Grand Final pre-match performances

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The NFL Today marks 40th year - NFL". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
2. ^ William Leggett (1975-09-15). "Nbc Tries A Grandstand Play - 09.15.75 - SI Vault". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
3. ^ Sandomir, Richard (2011-02-06). "Pregame Show: Many Hours Too Long". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
4. ^ Steward Mandel, Burning questions about BCS, a few candidates for Tennessee and more, SI.com, November 12, 2008, Accessed November 12, 2008.
5. ^ Michael Hiestand, 'GameDay' flag relay is worth a salute, USA Today, October 30, 2008, Accessed November 12, 2008.
6. ^ Pizzazz, Manolo Has (2025-04-05). "AEW adds mystery opponent, trios match to Dynasty Zero Hour pre-show". Cageside Seats. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
7. ^ Powell, Jason (2018-04-08). "Powell's WrestleMania 34 Kickoff Show live review: WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal, Cedric Alexander vs. Mustfa Ali for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2025-05-15.