Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen will call their first Super Bowl on Sunday when Fox broadcasts Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. While the broadcasting duo is new at this, sideline reporter Erin Andrews has been here before and had a very direct warning for them as they prepared.
In an interview with GQ this week, Burkhardt said that Andrews, who has been part of Fox’s coverage for three Super Bowls, didn’t mince words about what preparation for the biggest game of the year looks like.
“The biggest challenge is not having done this before. I got some good advice from people like Erin Andrews, who said, “It’s a complete shitshow,” said Burkhardt. “There’s a lot that’s going on. It’s not that it isn’t fun and great, it’s just that it limits your time to prep like you normally do. Thankfully, I did a lot of the prep I normally do last week, so I can just add on this week. If I didn’t do that, I’d be pretty stressed right now.”
That sounds like quintessential Andrews, to be honest.
As for how he’s preparing to call his first Super Bowl, Olsen said it’s a matter of being prepared for the many ways the game could play out.
“It’s a different type of nerves and anticipation. When you’re a player, it’s the outcome that you’re worried about. This week, the entire focus is on doing the game justice and making sure you’re prepared and you have the storylines and all your thoughts are straight,” said Olsen. “Regardless of when the ball’s kicked off, regardless of who ends up winning or losing, we want to be prepared to follow the game wherever it goes. Like my experience as a player, it’s blocking out distractions and being able to prioritize your time to what really matters.”
Even though she’s a veteran of the Super Bowl, that doesn’t mean Andrews isn’t worried about what could happen as well. She recently said that she has a “massive fear” of saying the F-word during a live broadcast. It hasn’t happened yet, but if there were ever a time to prove her “shitshow” comments true, that would do it.
[GQ]
