Serving as a central pillar of ESPN’s “Year of the Super Bowl” storytelling initiative, The Biggest Game has begun its weekly rollout, with new episodes premiering each week through Super Bowl LXI on the NFL on ESPN YouTube channel. More than 40 episodes are planned over the course of the year. Announced February 11, ESPN’s “Year of the Super Bowl” is a yearlong storytelling initiative that includes The Biggest Game, a digital show hosted by veteran ESPN journalist Jeremy Schaap exploring the history, evolution and cultural impact of the Super Bowl.

Episode 1: Chris Berman’s Super Bowl Memories

The series launched with a debut episode featuring ESPN legend Chris Berman, who has watched or covered all 60 Super Bowls. Helping kick off the podcast, Berman joined Jeremy Schaap to reflect on some of his favorite memories from the biggest game in football and discuss what the Super Bowl has meant to the growth of the NFL and sports culture.

Episode 2: This Jimmy Johnson Draft Trade Saved the Dallas Cowboys

Episode two, released last week, examined the blockbuster trade that helped build the Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the 1990s. Featuring former Cowboys head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson and former safety Darren Woodson, a three-time Super Bowl champion and NFL All-Pro with the Cowboys, the episode revisits how the trade of Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings provided Dallas the draft capital that helped create one of the NFL’s most dominant dynasties.

Episode 3: Whitney Houston’s Career APEX: The Star-Spangled Banner’s GOLD Standard

Episode three, released this week, revisits Whitney Houston’s iconic national anthem performance before Super Bowl XXV, widely regarded as one of the greatest renditions in Super Bowl history. Joined by Bob Ley and David Dennis Jr., Schaap explores the lasting impact of the performance on the nation, Houston’s career and the Super Bowl stage itself.

“The Biggest Game is part of ESPN’s yearlong initiative exploring the history, evolution and cultural impact of the Super Bowl,” said David Roberts, ESPN Executive Vice President, Executive Editor, Sports News and Entertainment. “Through Jeremy’s perspective and conversations, the series will help tell the stories behind the moments, people and traditions that have made the Super Bowl a defining cultural event in sports and entertainment.”

“The Super Bowl is the biggest event on the American cultural calendar. Period. It’s so big that it has become the measuring stick for the bigness of all events, which makes it only fitting that we are calling our show The Biggest Game,” said Schaap. “The goal here is to create a series that will explore all things Super Bowl, and no aspect of the game is too obscure to escape our gaze. For me, this is a dream project.”

In coming weeks Schaap will welcome guests like: former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David sharing his experiences of playing in Super Bowl LV at his home stadium, during the Covid-19 pandemic; Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, giving his perspective on how the New York Jets Super Bowl III victory laid the groundwork for today’s NFL; and author Brian W. Boyles exploring how the impact of Hurricane Katrina contributed to the blackout at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome during Super Bowl XLVII.

In collaboration with the NFL, this yearlong effort marks one of the most ambitious cross-company initiatives in ESPN and Disney history, designed to elevate the Super Bowl experience for fans while uniting the storytelling strength, innovation, and cultural reach of ESPN, Disney, and the NFL. The initiative also includes the weekly short-form series I Scored a Touchdown, which spotlights the stories of players who reached the end zone on the Super Bowl stage through one-to-two-minute features appearing across ESPN shows and platforms. ESPN will highlight 61 players ahead of Super Bowl LXI, with a new player unveiled mostly on a weekly basis over the next calendar year.

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ESPN contacts: [email protected].