In May 2010, Eric Shanks was elevated to President of Fox Sports. At 38, Shanks is believed to be the youngest Network Sports President in television history. This week, Shanks will be overseeing his first Super Bowl broadcast.
In an exclusive, wide-ranging conversation, Shanks gave us a few nuggets of information. Here are some of the highlights:
-- This telecast will use 44 cameras.
-- They will have high-tech cameras right on the sideline that can definitively tell in-bounds/out-of-bounds plays. These cameras are controlled in a robotic fashion from people in a remote location.
-- Fox will unveil new graphics.
-- The Fox robot will make an appearance on-air. (Fun Fact: the robot's name is "Cletus".)
-- Former NFL head of officiating Mike Perreira will be in the booth during the telecast. He will be off-camera but will be brought in to discuss any rule clarifications.
-- In general, this is going to be the most technically-advanced Super Bowl production in history.
We wish Eric Shanks and the team at Fox Sports all the best with Super Bowl XLV.
