ABSTRACT
The production of live sports events relies upon four essential elements: time, people, resources, and information. Live event producers explain how they achieve their goal of documenting what happens in each competition while informing and entertaining viewers. In interviews with the author, leading network producers and directors talk about how important it is for them to have “an awareness of everything” and how they make split-second decisions during live telecasts. Producers and directors define their specific roles and how they work together to plan for every possible eventuality that could arise in a live event. The chapter also examines the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on live sports coverage, forcing hundreds of games to be produced and reported on by commentators and crew members who were at their homes or technical facilities and not at the site of the event.
