This week represents the 10 year anniversary of FS1. When the network launched in August 2013, Fox put every resource possible behind it to build a true competitor to ESPN’s monopoly over the sporting landscape. While FS1 has found some level of success and has certainly found a solid, long-lasting foundation, it’s a very different network now compared to when it started. As Fox Sports 1 evolved over the last decade, its goals and aims – and programming – certainly shifted. As we begin FS1 Week, we relive the launch of Fox Sports 1’s flagship program that was the face of the network – Fox Sports Live.

Alternative. Alternative. Alternative.

If there’s one thing to describe the launch of Fox Sports Live, it was going to be the alternative to ESPN and SportsCenter that sports fans always dreamed of having. More emphasis on highlights, graphics, and scores. No more tiresome forced debates. No obsession with Tim Tebow. No taking things too seriously. A blue color scheme instead of red! Fox Sports 1 was going to be “The One for Fun” and hope to reach disenchanted sports fans who wanted something new and different.

Charissa Thompson opened the very first Fox Sports Live episode in August 2013 showcasing everything that would indeed be new and different from SportsCenter. First, a big board that loudly and proudly showcased all the stats and scores throughout the evening. Next, the athlete panel that would feature stars from various sports talking about the major stories of the day. Finally, the anchor desk where transplanted TSN anchors Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole would bring their unique brand of humor and personality to make highlights entertaining again.

While the athlete panel was a “love it or leave it” idea all the way back to the days of the Best Damn Sports Show Period, Fox Sports Live was built around Jay and Dan as those early days featured a ton of social media promotion of their best moments. Looking back at their highlights from the first show represents an amazing time capsule into the world of sports and television ten years ago.

 

Featured in that video:

  • The legendary clip of Joe Kapp’s fight with Angelo Mosca paying off a Regis Philbin-Bill Raftery joke.
  • Jay Onrait with the single greatest ad read in the history of sports television.
  • Dan O’Toole calling Aaron Rodgers a “trustworthy guy”
  • A tweet shoutout from Richard Deitsch immediately leading to a Night Court joke.

Looking back, it’s sad that Fox Sports Live only made it a few years, especially how legitimately funny Jay and Dan were together. Ultimately, the show was retooled in 2016 into a late night show and canceled in 2017. Onrait and O’Toole returned to Canada, Charissa Thompson continued on Fox’s NFL coverage, and those brown chairs at the athlete panel hopefully were put away in a storage unit never to be seen again.