Could Promotion-Relegation work in College Football?
The popular “Sport Science” will be back “on steroids” in 2023. That’s the word from creator and host John Brenkus.
No, the cult hit won’t return to its former TV home of ESPN. Instead, look for a new version of “Sport Science” to return in a “big way” across several media platforms and various formats.
“Don’t pigeonhole ‘Sport Science’ in only sport,” said Brenkus in an interview with Front Office Sports. “Think of it more as ‘Sport Science’ on steroids – pun very much intended.”
Among the likely platforms will be Brenkus’ own Brinx.TV – as well as possibly new business partner ReachTV. He expects to announce his new media partners in March or April.
“It will have a much bigger impact in terms of accessibility, audience and connections than the previous iterations. There will be many different partners. There will not just be one partner,” said Brenkus. “It will be a conglomeration of significant partnerships. Rather than resting on one platform, it’s going to rest across a very wide variety of major players.”
ESPN bought the “Sport Science” brand from Brenkus in 2011. His new iteration will hit the market under a “different and more powerful moniker,” he said.
The new property could sell advertising and sponsorship opportunities to blue-chip marketers who previously sponsored segments.
They include Nike, Ford, Toyota, Under Armour, Gillette, Coors, Nerf, and Logitech.
The original “Sport Science” debuted on the former FSN in 2007. Two years later, the show moved to ESPN, gaining an even bigger following. Over the years, Brenkus appeared in over 1,800 segments, winning six Emmy Awards.
The Atlanta-based host, producer, and best-selling author of “The Perfection Point” doesn’t do much social media. But he decided to answer a tweet from Awful Announcing by teasing his big announcement.
“Sports Science is returning…but not to ESPN. Stay tuned!”
The reaction was huge. The tweet has been viewed 3.4 million times – with over 22,000 likes. Longtime fans of the show cheered its return.
“Lets gooooooooo! I loved this show,” tweeted Taylor Rooks of Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage team.
That response was gratifying to Brenkus: “It was a clear indication that what is to come has a massive audience. I’m grateful and full of gratitude for what led me up to this point. And super excited for what’s to come.”
FSN’s original 26-episode season was distributed internationally. With Brenkus’ old shows still airing overseas, the next iteration will be global.
“Those episodes are still, in 2023, running in over 100 countries all the time,” Brenkus noted. “It’s insane.”
