NWSL Championship 2024: CBS Sports Caps Off First Year of In-House Broadcasts With Saturday's Final in Kansas City

NWSL Championship 2024: CBS Sports Caps Off First Year of In-House Broadcasts With Saturday's Final in Kansas City The broadcaster's support of the league hits new heights with title-game in new stadium By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor

Friday, November 22, 2024 - 7:00 am

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Sometimes in professional sports, the top seeds survive the win-or-go-home model of the postseason and make it to the final game of the schedule. That's the exact scenario for Saturday, Nov. 23 at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium: No. 1 Orlando Pride and No. 2 Washington Spirit will contend for the 2024 NWSL Championship. As for previous title games, CBS Sports is packing a sizable trunk of tech toys, but the big challenge is that the venue is hosting the first prize match in its seven-month-old history.

There are more bells and whistles than we've had for our regular-season games, says Nick Doyle, manager, sports production, CBS Sports. It's impressive that it's the first women's-soccer-specific stadium ever built, but it's a bit unique because it doesn't have the layout of a traditional soccer stadium.

16-Camera Show: Multiple Drone Locations, Atlas Shallow-Depth-of-Field, Net Robos An occasion as massive as the NWSL Championship calls for top-tier technologies. The game will deploy a total of 16 cameras, but a handful will make a noticeable difference for viewers watching from home: five super-slow-motion cameras will provide stunning replays of action, a robotic in each net will showcase each team's goals on the pitch, and two RF handhelds will highlight views from the touchline. Two deployments - the broadcaster's Atlas shallow-depth-of-field cameras and an aerial drone - will add a new dimension and aesthetic to the telecast.

Taking to the skies from three launch points around the venue, the drone will document the overall atmosphere of the league's biggest match. In addition to being over the actual field, Doyle explains, it'll be able to show a little bit of downtown and scenics of the area. We'll also have it fly over the stadium during pregame and postgame.

Pre/postgame and halftime show Attacking Third will emanate from a studio desk on the field. Situated near one of the corner flags, the ample location is intended to enhance analysis of the game and interactions with the environment. [Our studio set] gives us great ability to grab players coming on or off the pitch, he adds. If we didn't [have the set] on the pitch, we'd be up in the concourse, and we'd lose that access. We have an extensive amount of coverage, so it's a nice addition.

The compound will house a pair of NEP mobile units: NCP7 handling the game production, M-14 the studio show. Sharing resources, both the game and studio show will tap a Steadicam.

Midwest Football: CPKC Stadium Hosts First Championship in Venue History Opened in March, CPKC Stadium adds another feather in its relatively young cap this weekend. A new soccer center for the local community and a new home for four-year-old expansion team KC Current, the building is a sign of the immense growth in women's sports. CBS Sports was able to have some dress rehearsals for the upcoming production: two regular-season matches in September and October and the Current vs. North Carolina Courage Quarterfinal on Nov. 9.

We were fortunate to have a few matches in Kansas City earlier in the year, says Doyle. It was a great opportunity to get ahead of any issues that could pop up and to learn the stadium and its capabilities.

A major benefit of getting those reps in is accommodating for the influx of foot traffic expected on Saturday. The regular-season matches didn't have an onsite studio show and was produced from a single truck, but, this weekend, the broadcaster will have its studio team joining the fun and an additional truck.

We're definitely travelling a lot more than we did in the regular season, notes Doyle.

The live-to-tape NWSL Skills Challenge is scheduled to be recorded at the stadium today. This event is produced internally by NWSL, but CBS Sports will take the finished product and air it on Sunday, Nov. 24.

Reasons To Watch: Broadcast Team Sifts Through Numerous Storylines Fans should flock to their televisions to watch the broadcaster's technical firepower at work, but they should also watch for plotlines playing out on the pitch. Among the players to look for is a pair of U.S. Women's National Team members and Gold Medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics - Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger - and women's soccer and Brazilian legend Marta on the Orlando Pride. After winning the 2021 NWSL Championship against the Chicago Red Stars, the Spirit are vying for their second title in four years. More recently, this year's playoffs have provided memorable performances heading into Saturday.

Going to penalty kicks was a fantastic and exciting way to end a game, says Doyle. Last week was as good as it gets. It's hard to complain when you end up with the two No. 1 seeds, because the stars will be there.

To convey these storylines to the audience, the broadcaster will have its best talent in Kansas City. The onsite version of Attacking Third will feature host Poppy Miller, analysts Darian Jenkins and Lisa Carlin, Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey, and Current star Lo'eau LaBonta. In the booth, play-by-play announcer Jacqui Oatley and analyst Lori Lindsey will narrate the action, alongside reporter Emily Proud and rules analyst Christina Unkel. In the compound, director Brian Kozlowski and producer Jen Calhoun will lead studio coverage; director Matt Plundo and producer Carlo Gennarini will be at the front bench for the game production.

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