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Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes — not that we’re counting.
If there’s one thing Philly sports fans love more than anyone else in the country, it’s hearing themselves talk. Sports talk radio is littered with local experts, so much that most shows need only to come up with one topic, open the phone lines and know they’ll be flooded with calls for hours.
With the NFL Draft in town, it’s not just the Philly media that will be looking for local know-it-alls. Media from all over the country — hometown radio in other markets and even the national radio and TV outlets — will be littered up and down the Parkway looking for local flavor.
Here are 5 ways for you to get on national TV this week.
1. Wear something stupid
National media love to mock Philly sports fans for our boorish behavior, so if you want to get yourself on one of those national outlets, play up to the stereotype. Dress up like Santa Claus and have your friend carry a bucket of plush snowballs. Wear a cheesesteak on your head everywhere you go. Do you have a full set of pads from when you were in high school you can put on under your Mike Mamula jersey? Any combination of those things will get you on TV.
Note: Don’t undersell radio. While people can’t actually see you on radio, there’s almost nothing radio hosts like more than getting a chance to describe what someone is wearing/eating/holding to a listening audience.
Also, say “wooder” a lot. That will totally help.
2. Hold a sign for several hours
This is an outdoor draft, with 3,000 people inside the makeshift arena the NFL built on the Art Museum steps and tens of thousands of other fans stretched back from Eakins Oval all the way to the Franklin Institute. How are you going to stand out in that sea of kelly-and-or-midnight green? Hold a sign.
Do you have something witty to say to the national TV audience? One last shot at Sam Bradford, perchance? Or maybe something about Dallas sucking. Lord knows there won’t be enough of those this weekend.
If you make a sign, and hold it over your head the entire time you’re down at the draft, at some point it will end up on either the NFL Network or ESPN. Your face may not show up, and they probably won’t interview any Dallas Sucks sign guys, but your message will still be heard loud and clear.
3. Eat Philly foods
One way to ensure you’ll get on TV or radio? Eat something quintessentially Philly. There are a ton of local food offerings down at the draft, and there’s an absolute certainty both networks will be showing all the hyper-local food coming in and out of every commercial. There will probably be close to 60 hours of on-site coverage over three days across two networks, so the over/under of shots of a cheesesteak being cooked making it to some NFL-based program is set at 215. Take the over.
But, again, how to stand out? Combine the foods. Cheesesteak hoagie? That might get people talking. Cheesesteak hoagie on a pretzel, covered in Whiz, wit onions? People will notice that. Add a roast pork sandwich on top and dip it in Italian ice? How can you not get on national TV with that?
4. Be famous
Are you famous? TV and radio love putting famous people on. If you’re famous, you probably don’t even need a sign or crazy food. Still, wear something stupid just in case.
5. Show up where the TV shows are
The best way to get on TV is to be where the TV shows are. For ESPN, that’s either Chickie’s & Pete’s or the NFL Draft main stage.
Thursday, Mike & Mike, First Take and Outside the Lines are all being televised live from Chickie’s & Pete’s, so ESPN’s main hub of draft activity will be covered in CrabFries dust.
Their remaining shows from Philly will be live from the set near the NFL Draft stage, which means there is ample opportunity to see the ESPN stars up close and personal and get in some in-and-out shots at the Draft Experience. NFL Insiders and NFL Live will run from 1:30 p.m through 3:30 p.m. before the network returns to Philly for a SportsCenter special at 7:00 p.m. that leads into the draft itself.
Friday, ESPN’s schedule is the same, except for the draft part, which starts at 7 p.m.. Saturday, it’s just the draft and whatever SportsCenter hits they’ll do from Philly.
Saturday is probably the day for shirts, signs and crazy food, FWIW.
The NFL Network’s coverage has already begun in Philly with tons of live shots, but beginning Thursday, most of the shows will originate from here.
Good Morning Football will air live from Philly starting at 7:00 a.m. and then the NFL Draft Kickoff show will start at 3:30 p.m. from the Art Museum steps. At 6:00 p.m. the NFL has its live red carpet show — a great chance for fans in crazy outfits to get on TV — before the draft preview show at 7:30 p.m. and draft itself, 30 minutes later.
The NFL Network is using the Art Museum location as well as sets at the Franklin Institute and the Logan Hotel. They said no fans will be able to be a part of latter two sets, but surely they’ll have roving cameras all over the NFL Draft Experience, if only to show off all the free Dannon Oikos yogurt they’re giving out.
Friday has the same schedule as Thursday, only the draft is an hour earlier, then Saturday almost all the NFL’s draft coverage will be live from Philly. The NFL Network reps told us access is “as open as the Draft Experience allows it to be.”
