Mike Tirico Needs a Break

Mike Tirico is great!  I think we can all agree on this.  He's also one of the hardest-working broadcasters in the business (although, Kenny Albert would probably have something to say about that).  He's the face of NBC Sports, doing play-by-play for Sunday Night Football and serving as the primetime Olympic host, with NBA play-by-play duties likely being added next year, as well as the occasional hosting of a big event or play-by-play appearance in some random sport.  Let's not forget the guest spots on The Today Show and other NBC News programs, as well.

What's funny is that when he first left ESPN for NBC, Tirico had nothing to do, which is hard to believe now!  He was the anointed successor, but Bob Costas was still the primetime Olympic host and Al Michaels was still doing Sunday Night Football.  Tirico did the Olympic daytime show in Rio and would occasionally fill-in for Al when NBC had multiple games in a week, but his primary duties those first few years were Notre Dame games and the Football Night In America studio show.

Oh, how times have changed!  Mike Tirico is obviously very well-compensated, and I'm sure he wouldn't be doing so much working and traveling if he didn't feel he could handle it.  It's also an incredible display of versatility to see him effortlessly move from one sport to another and from play-by-play to studio hosting.  It's easy to see why NBC wants to use him as much as they can.  

Although, while I don't want to say he's overworked or overextended, I definitely think it could benefit both Tirico and NBC if he didn't do everything!  The same goes for Maria Taylor, who pretty much hosts everything Mike Tirico doesn't, including BOTH the college football studio show on Saturday and the NFL studio show on Sunday.  And, seeing as she made her mark covering the NBA for ESPN, you know she'll be involved in NBC's coverage there, as well.

So, where am I going with all this?  NBC will soon get to the point where we see somebody other than Mike Tirico and/or Maria Taylor covering major events.  Especially since their ever-growing sports portfolio will end up having overlapping coverage, meaning they'll need somebody else cover something. 

In 2022, the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl overlapped for the first time.  Since the Super Bowl was on the middle Sunday of the Olympics, Tirico was in Beijing for the start of the Games before flying to LA for the Super Bowl.  Immediately after hosting the Rams' trophy presentation, he segued right back into his Olympic hosting role...while literally still on the field at SoFi Stadium!

During the 2026 Olympics, he won't be able to do that.  For starters, he's doing NFL play-by-play now.  More significantly, though, the Olympic Opening Ceremony is on Friday night in Milan.  The Super Bowl is on Sunday in San Francisco.  You're not asking anyone, let alone the play-by-play guy who needs to be there on-site during Super Bowl Week, to do that.  (Yes, Taylor Swift flew overnight from Tokyo to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl last season, but she was only attending the game, not working it.)

The same thing goes for Maria Taylor.  She'll be in San Francisco hosting the Super Bowl pregame and postgame shows, so it's highly unlikely she'll be in Milan for the start of the Olympics.  NBC will also broadcast the NBA All*Star Game the following week in Los Angeles.  If, as expected, Tirico and Taylor play prominent roles in NBC's NBA coverage, you'd have to figure they'll be in LA for that, as well.

Now, is it possible that they could either return to NBC's home base in Connecticut or even go to LA early and take advantage of being the host broadcaster for the 2028 Olympics for a few days between the Super Bowl and the All*Star Game?  Sure.  But will they be spending those few days in Italy?  Unlikely.  So, like I said, NBC needs to figure something else out soon.  Since Mike and Maria can't be everywhere and do everything!

Can I also envision a scenario where the No. 2 NBA play-by-play guy (Noah Eagle?) does the All*Star Game and Tirico heads to Italy right after the Super Bowl?  Yes.  But that still doesn't solve the problem of the Opening Ceremony and first five nights of Olympic competition coverage, including after the Super Bowl.  And Maria's out since she'll be with Mike at the Super Bowl!  (See why only having two main studio hosts cover everything is an issue?)

My initial guess is that Craig Melvin will probably get the call for those first few days of the 2026 Olympics.  He filled in the primetime host in 2022 while Mike was traveling from Beijing to LA and was the daytime co-host during the Paris Games.  And he was recently promoted to the full-time co-host of Today, which always broadcasts on location from the host city during the Olympics, so he'll be on-site in Italy.  But that's a solution only for 2026, and NBC will have the same problem with the Winter Olympics, Super Bowl and NBA All*Star Game overlapping again in 2030...and every four years after that (although, in 2034 it'll be easier since the Olympics will be in Salt Lake City).

Rebecca Lowe and Ahmet Fareed are the other in-house options.  Rebecca has been involved in Olympic coverage since joining NBC, but usually handles the morning/afternoon show.  Ahmet could be the guy.  He has the versatility to step in and likely won't have a permanent assignment in Milan/Cortina, so it's easy to see him getting the call.  But is either one familiar enough to enough people to anchor primetime Olympic duties?  Frankly, no.  At least not yet.  Although, Ahmet Fareed could easily be groomed to take over as Mike Tirico's eventual successor.

Which brings me back to the root of the problem.  Most of NBC's Olympic commentators don't work for the network full-time.  When it comes to regular coverage of their ever-growing list of sports and leagues, their roster is actually fairly small.  Which is why Mike Tirico and Maria Taylor end up covering everything.  They're working some other, younger announcers in, but, primarily, it's Mike and Maria.

As good as Mike Tirico and Maria Taylor are (although, frankly, I don't think Maria's anywhere near as good as she thinks she is), NBC needs to build a bigger team around them, if only to give those two a break.  Because it will be physically impossible for them to cover both the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics, let alone the NBA All*Star Game, in 2026!