ESPN’s Ian Darke and Anthony Crupi of Sportico

Episode 147 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Ian Darke, the lead play-by-play commentator of ESPN’s soccer coverage. He will be in London this month calling UEFA EURO 2020 for ESPN. Darke is followed by Anthony Crupi, a sports media reporter for Sportico. In this podcast, Darke discusses the favorites for the tournament; calling the Euros from London’s Wembley Stadium and the IMG studios in London; the in-stadium protocols Darke has to follow because of COVID; how he preps for the tournament; why Poland is the toughest team for pronunciations; why the Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul boxing exhibition was cynical and dangerous; stories from his contemporaries about sparring with all-time greats, and more.Crupi discusses the first round of the NBA playoffs averaging 3.06 million viewers, up 46% over 2020 and up 3% versus 2019; what the viewership numbers mean; why the second round of the NBA playoffs will be a significant viewership challenge for the NBA; the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs averaging a total audience of 642,000 viewers across NBC, NBCSN, USA, CNBC and digital outlets, up 6 percent 2020 but NHL’s least-watched first round since 2013; what those numbers mean; what the best viewership possibilities for the NHL, and more.You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.