SI

The ‘ManningCast’ Schedule Is a Reminder of Peyton’s Power

Despite the hype, the 'ManningCast' still only airs 10 out of the 17 regular-season weeks.

Jimmy Traina

Peyton and Eli Manning created a musical to promote the upcoming season of the “ManningCast.”
Peyton and Eli Manning created a musical to promote the upcoming season of the “ManningCast.” / Omaha Productions

1. If you are on the internet at all on Tuesday, you are going to repeatedly see the 10-minute musical featuring Peyton and Eli Manning that promotes the upcoming season of the ManningCast, and for good reason.

It’s very well done. It’s Peyton and Eli singing. It features a billion cameos.

Among them: Scott Van Pelt, Robin Roberts, Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo Rodriguez, Mina Kimes, Adam Schefter, Roger Goodell, Jason Kelce, LL Cool J, Andy Reid, Pete Davidson, John Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McVay, Brian Daboll, Chad Johnson, Baker Mayfield, Gardner Minshew, Snoop, the Backstreet Boys, Ray Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Bublé, Justin Tucker, Paris Hilton, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr and Bill Belichick.

But here’s what fascinates me the most about the ManningCast: Peyton has so much power that the show will still only air for 10 out of the 17 regular season weeks. You know ESPN would LOVE to have the show for 17 weeks, but Peyton doesn’t want to work full-time and that just makes me respect him even more.

ManningCast
ManningCast 2024 schedule / Omaha Productions

If you’re talent on a network, you have to be in a certain, rare stratosphere to work a part-time schedule when you have a high-profile gig. This is Howard Stern territory, who only works Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for SiriusXM.

I have no idea if ESPN has approached Peyton and Eli about doing all 17 weeks. And I’m sure it’s in Peyton and Eli’s contract that they are only obligated to do 10 weeks during the regular season. But I’m sure ESPN would do anything to have Peyton and Eli full time.

But the part-time schedule has its benefits. It makes the ManningCast feel like a special event. It also keeps it fresh and prevents it from feeling stale.

The show gets a boost this season with Belichick becoming a weekly guest each week in the first quarter of every game.

The addition of Belichick and the 10-minute musical shows that despite being a part-time show, it’s clear that Peyton and Eli put everything they have into the broadcast.

2. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with The Ringer’s Editor-At-Large, Bryan Curtis.

Topics covered include how we will judge Tom Brady’s debut as Fox’s lead NFL analyst in Week 1; who is the more intriguing media figure: Bill Belichick or Nick Saban; ESPN going with Mike Greenberg over Laura Rutledge as host of NFL Sunday Countdown; the Kelce Brothers inking a $100 million deal for their New Heights podcast; the return of the Sports Reporters; Paul Finebaum taking on Deion Sanders; whether a network will ever hire a non-ex-player to be an NFL game analyst and whether Charles Barkley will remain with Turner Sports once they lose the NBA.

Following Curtis, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. In this week’s segment, we recap my day at Sal’s house last weekend and we read and react to SI Media With Jimmy Traina Apple reviews for the month of August.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

3. Quick prediction for those of you who have DirecTV: The carriage dispute between DirectTV and the Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, will be settled on Monday right before the Jets-Niners Week 1 Monday Night Football game.

4. The single-greatest segment on all of sports TV is back! And as always, I will post the segment in Traina Thoughts every week. Here are SVP, Stanford Steve and Bad Beats.

5. Ian Eagle likes pens. A LOT.

6. Caitlin Clark: responsible for record-setting WNBA ratings, a massive increase in WNBA ticket sales and the end of a friendship. According to Nancy Lieberman, Sheryl Swoopes has cut her off after a phone conversation about Clark.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: We will get ready for the start of the NFL season (technically Thursday, but really Sunday) by featuring must-see football videos in this space each day this week.

We kick things off with my all-time favorite NFL head coach, Bill Parcells, who would go viral every single day if he were still in the game.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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