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Lately, it feels as if the interview show is making a comeback on sports TV. E: 60 is more long form journalism, but Hannah Storm's Face to Face specials have kept ESPN in that game. Now, two networks are banking on big names to continue or launch interview series of their own.
Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET, NFL on Fox analyst John Lynch will sit down with commissioner Roger Goodell for an episode of Fox Sports 1 on 1. Previous episodes have featured Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson. Lynch grills the commissioner on a lot of the current, pressing topics within the NFL and the culture of football in general. That includes, yes, Goodell's thoughts on the settlement between the NFL and its former players and whether or not the league is doing enough for its retired athletes.
"I don't think you can ever do enough. Those guys are my heroes too. One of my favorite weekends is to spend time with those guys at the Hall of Fame and see our heroes. In the last collective bargaining agreement we put a billion dollars between the players and the NFL into new programs for improved pensions and other medical benefits for our retired players. But there's still more work to be done."
On Wednesday night, NFL Network will provide its own spin on the interview show. Man to Man is similar to Fox Sports 1 on 1 in that it doesn't necessarily feature typical interviewers or journalists asking the questions. On Fox's show, Lynch and Michael Strahan are often the inquiring minds. For Man to Man, NFL Network analysts Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin are giving the interviews.
Faulk talks to Andrew Luck about being measured against Peyton Manning, and his relationship with his father, who also played in the NFL and is also interviewed. Deion Sanders talks to Michael Vick about "his growth and maturity over the years" and Chip Kelly's dynamic new Eagles offense. Finally, Michael Irvin sits down with Russell Wilson about Super Bowl expectations and the team's surprise 2012 season.
Both shows should be an interesting twist on the typical one-on-one sitdown, and likely draw solid ratings, because people will not stop watching programming related to football. Ever.