Joan Strange isn’t a name that most people recognize, but if you watch the NFL regularly, you’ve undoubtedly experienced her work. Strange’s official title at ESPN is music operations supervisor. She leads the group responsible for all music for ESPN’s NFL and college football programming.
If you heard Toto’s “Hold the Line” following an offensive lineman’s nice block on this year’s “Monday Night Football,” it was the work of Strange and her colleagues. When MNF returned from a commercial break during the Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions game on September 30th, ESPN producers showed an overhead shot of Detroit, with a Motown-style video from the APM Music Library below. The song “Exciting Funk” was playing. Again, it’s Strange and her team’s job.
“I think music really helps tell the story of the game. We want people to feel the game when they’re watching it,” said Strange, who has worked at ESPN for 18 years. Ta. “We want them to be part of the gaming experience. We all know that music is very subjective, but I’ve found over the years that music can be a part of the gaming experience. I learned that you can't please everyone watching the game, just do what’s best for your work and make what we do as great as the announcers and production staff. I want to.”
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Music has always been an integral part of NFL broadcasts and is a great source of entertainment for those who work in sports television. Jim Rikhoff, lead producer for CBS’s No. 1 NFL team, is a big fan of old-school music. He hosts a music conference every Tuesday with CBS Sports broadcast staffers Kije Theano and Brian Maher to discuss music possibilities for Sunday broadcasts. Rikhov said he particularly liked using ZZ Top’s “La Grange” after Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins scored a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this season. Why that song? Dobbins is from La Grange, Texas.
“Your choices can be kitschy or tongue-in-cheek, and sometimes there are subtle connections that the viewer has to discover,” Rikhov said. “Some people may not understand the connection, but for those who do, they’ll think it’s cool. My goal with music on air is to have a very diverse and eclectic music library on air. That’s what I do. I love nostalgia, and the younger guys in the crew always criticize me for that. But people love old things. When you look at commercials now, they’re all from the ’70s. music is used.
“We often try to associate it with a city. Obviously, if we’re in Detroit, we might do a lot of Motown or Bob Seger. For the (Pittsburgh) Steelers, , using Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow.” Whenever I’m in Dallas, I like to use the Busboys’ “The Boys Are Back in Town.” ”
Strange said the process for next week’s music will begin on Tuesday when he communicates with ESPN game and studio producers about upcoming game and show storylines. She talks via email with “Monday Night Football” producer Steve Ackles about what specific music the show is looking for.
“Let’s say we have a game in California and we want music from a California band or lyrics about California. I work on those clearances during the week to make sure that music gets cleared,” Strange said. said.
ESPN has a large amount of production library music (music created to sound like a specific genre) that can be used for games and studio shows. Then there’s the track that ESPN pays a royalty for each season. Strange and her team choose 20 to 30 pieces of current music (or older, well-known songs) to complete during the season. Examples of songs ESPN has cleared for the 2024 NFL season include The Who’s “Eminence Front,” Justin Timberlake’s “Prey,” and Dua Lipa’s “Illusions.” .
Expect to hear Justin Timberlake’s singing voice on this season’s “Monday Night Football.” (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
In some cases, networks will spend money on certain artists to use on certain games. The amount obviously depends on the artist’s profile. That amount can be in the high four or low five figures for a one-time play, depending on the artist. Clearances always have specific conditions regarding the number of times they can be used in a location. Strange has a background as a paralegal and her first job at ESPN was in the contracts and legal department. That background helps her in her current job.
Strange said her toughest days are Fridays, when she and her team work on the custom music edits sent to each production. They provide what she calls musical play cards to Scott Pray, ESPN’s lead audio mixer, who mixes all of the audio for “Monday Night Football.” When something happens during an MNF game, Pray can choose a match from the countless tracks on the play card at that moment.
“There’s a team of people making this work, including Scott and an amazing graphics team,” Strange said. “The Music Player Card is our version of the coach’s playsheet during the game. It lays out every part of the show regarding music. At some point we want you to enter the lyrics to “California Dreamin'” (The Mamas & Papas) Let’s say. I work with my music assistant to make edits and make them available for the game’s production tracks. ”
Rykoff’s longtime favorite music includes using The Foundations’ “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You” for Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski’s touchdown connection. he said. He also enjoyed using Orleans’ “Still the One” whenever the older Brady did something good as CBS headed into the break.
Fox Sports has built a great reputation for music leading up to the commercial break. Here’s a great Billboard article about how some music-minded Fox Sports executives injected the Grateful Dead, Phish, Goose, and other bands into NFL broadcasts.
Strange said he was especially proud that so many people enjoyed all the different versions of the famous “Monday Night Football” theme.
“We work with the owners of the original recordings (APMs) to create a number of custom versions,” Strange said. “We recently completed a new modern holiday version that will be played in the game around the end of December. We also have a country version of the theme that plays when you’re in a place where that sound makes sense. It puts a smile on my face knowing I’ve been able to keep the theme current and help elevate the theme we all know and love.”
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(Top photo of singer-songwriter Lindsay Ell performing the national anthem before the 2022 Miami Dolphins vs. Tennessee Titans game: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
