You Are Looking Live!

How the NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting

By: Rich Podolsky, Jim Nantz - foreword

Narrated by: Barry Abrams

You Are Looking Live! is about the genesis, success, and magic of a live television show that in 1975 captured the excitement of the country and launched four magnetic personalities to stardom: Brent Musburger, Phyllis George, Irv Cross, and Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder. It was the first NFL studio show to go live and the first to have both a Black and female cohost. Those four personalities battled each other and the competition, and America loved them for it.

This is the story of how Brent, Phyllis, Irv, and Jimmy got there, their drama and front-page headlines, and what happened to them after the magic ended. Those headlines included Brent and The Greek's famous fight at Peartrees; Phyllis first marrying the man who produced The Godfather, then dropping him after two months for the next governor of Kentucky; and the shocking firing of Musburger on April Fool's Day, 1990.

America had never seen a show like this before. The NFL Today became so popular that it not only dominated the ratings, but also won its timeslot 18 straight years, from 1975 to 1993, until CBS lost its NFL package to Fox. And today, looking back, these four personalities, like any family, had their own battles, and became even more famous for them.

©2021 Richard Podolsky (P)2022 Tantor

Fantastic

Anyone who enjoys watching NFL will love this behind the scenes look from yesteryear

Live from New York - it's the NFL Today

The greatest pregame show of all time, in any sport, was the Brent Musburger-led CBS program “The NFL Today”. The show was a mixture of diverse personalities who all added something to the overall production - the super smart, sometimes smarmy Musburger. The gorgeous, sweet beauty queen Phyllis George. The humble, intelligent black ex-ball player Irv Cross. The sleazy, controversial, opinionated handicapper Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. Can you imagine a character on tv called Hirschel “The Jew” or Tony “The Wop”? No, you cannot. But somehow CBS got away with this "Greek" thing.

What set this show apart was the live nature of the production - a revolution in broadcasting at the time. The book does a great job of going through the history of its creation, including portrayals of the main behind the scenes figures responsible. Rightfully so, the fact the show included a woman and a minority are highlighted at length. The great part of this is that George and Cross really were likable, and not just on the set to fill a quota (I'm looking at you, Nate Burleson) Later on, there are sections on Greg Gumbel and Jim Nantz. How Nantz was hired for this show is the stuff of fate - or miracles. He was the play-by-play man for the Utah Jazz!

While some of the book seems repetitive…the author repeats the same comments and descriptions several times through the narrative…it is still a fun, informative retelling of a landmark program. The Jimmy “The Greek” firing controversy is discussed, wherein he talked about how black athletes were bred to be superior. The Jayne Kennedy firing, which was really handled atrociously, is delved into. And it was quite interesting to hear about a clash between Musburger and “The Greek”, which culminated in actual punches being thrown.

Just as the heyday of the NFL was arguably the 70s and 80s, it is arguable that the NFL pregame show peaked with the "NFL Today" in that same era. If you missed it, that’s too bad. But you can read all about it in this entertaining book.