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Why CBS Sports Needs to Hire Kate Scott as the Number 1 Play-by-play Commentator for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)

- by Oliver Tse

Match Analyst/Co-Commentator Aly Wagner (left) and play-by-play announcer Kate Scott greeted the viewers to begin the PAC-12 Network telecast of the University of California Golden Bears vs Santa Clara University Broncos Women’s College Soccer match played at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, California on Sunday, August 20, 2017. Courtesy PAC-12 Conference.

By Oliver Tse

Email: workingnow88@workingnow88.com
Twitter: @workingnow88

Published on February 14, 2020. Updated on February 15, 18, 21, March 6, April 3, 2020 and December 8, 2022

Sportscaster Kate Scott, a member of the Class of 2005 at the University of California at Berkeley, appeared in this short promotional video “How to Respond to People Who Say You Can’t” for the California Alumni Association in 2017. Courtesy California Alumni Association.

“One of my favorite things is when people tell me I can’t, or you shouldn’t, or you won’t…I just pause, let them finish, and I look them in the eye and I say: WATCH ME!” – Kate Scott

NEW YORK and FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – Multiple sports journalists, starting with Dan Lauletta on January 31, 2020, have reported and/or confirmed within the past 2 weeks that the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has selected U.S. English-language sports media entity CBS Sports as the U.S. media rightsholder for the NWSL for the 2020 through 2022 seasons.

CBS Sports, which has not broadcast any major professional soccer on U.S. television since the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1976,

Brazilian forward Edson Arantes do Nascimento a.k.a. Pelé was featured in this CBS Sports telecast of the North American Soccer League (NASL) regular season match between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and New York Cosmos at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida on June 6, 1976. Play-by-play commentator: Mario Machado (CHN/USA). Analyst: Paul Gardner (ENG). Courtesy CBS Sports.

…has become the new U.S. English-language television “home” of the best club soccer in the world, having added the NWSL, where members of 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s Cup Champion United States Women’s National Team play their club soccer, to the UEFA men’s club soccer cup competitions during the 2021-2024 seasons including the UEFA Champions League, by far the best men’s club soccer cup tournament in the world featuring global brands and billion-dollar starting lineups featuring the likes of FC Barcelona (ESP) forward Lionel Messi (ARG), Juventus FC (ITA) forward Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) and Paris St. Germain (FRA) forward Neymar (BRA).

Related: “Eye on Europe” Part I: CBS Sports to build UEFA Champions League TV team

Before I examine the reasons why 37-year-old jack-of-all-trades sportscaster Kate Scott of Oakland, California, who is 1 of only 4 women (along with Gayle Sierens, Beth Mowins and Hannah Storm) to have professional experience calling English-language play-by-play commentary of National Football League (NFL) games (Scott called 2 San Francisco 49ers pre-season games on radio in August 2016) and currently calls play-by-play of college football, men’s and women’s college basketball and college soccer, women’s college volleyball and softball for various entities including her current primary outlet PAC-12 Networks, is a much better fit for the Number 1 play-by-play commentator for the NWSL on CBS Sports than incumbent play-by-play commentator Jenn Hildreth of Atlanta, Georgia, who had been the national television play-by-play voice of the NWSL for FOX Sports (U.S.) in 2015-2016, Lifetime Television in 2017-2018 and ESPN Networks in 2018-2019, I will recap the twists and turns in the drama surrounding the sale of U.S. media rights for the NWSL during the past 4 months.

How and why CBS Sports was able to outbid NBC Sports Group/Telemundo Deportes for U.S. media rights to the NWSL

According to a report on October 21, 2019 by Front Office Sports business reporter Ian Thomas, the Global Media Rights Consulting division of New York-based agency Octagon, lead by Senior Vice President Daniel Cohen, began negotiations on behalf of the NWSL with NBC Sports Group officials, presumably NBC Sports Group President of Programming Jonathan “Jon” Miller and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises Executive Vice President of Sports Content Eli Velazquez for a 3-year rights agreement after incumbent NWSL U.S. media rightsholder ESPN, Inc., which only offered a 1-year contract to the NWSL to pay production costs but no rights fee for the 2019 season, did so again for the 2020 season.

NBC Sports Group, which acquires sports television programming for both English-language sports media outlets with the NBC Sports brand and Spanish-language sports media outlets with the Telemundo Deportes brand, has made no secret that it was primarily interested in the NWSL in order to provide programming to U.S. Spanish-language free-to-air terrestrial broadcast TV network Telemundo, presumably on Saturday nights in May, June and July when Liga MX, the Mexican First Division men’s professional fútbol league and by far the most popular club soccer television product in the U.S. regardless of language for the past 25 years, is on summer hiatus and is unable to provide programming to Telemundo’s much bigger rival Univisión.

Thomas also mentioned in his report that the NWSL was finalizing an expansion club in Sacramento, California.

During a press conference held at Sacramento City Hall on October 21, 2019 by the Sacramento Republic FC organization to announce its expansion Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to be launched in 2022, NBC affiliate KCRA-DT 3.1 Sacramento sports news reporter Michelle Dapper was able to obtain a “tell” from Sacramento Republic FC minority owner and Straight Outta Compton movie producer Matt Álvarez to indicate that Álvarez, who was born in nearby Davis, was the “point man” spearheading the effort by the Sacramento Republic FC organization to obtain an NWSL expansion franchise.

[Aside: My history with KCRA-DT 3.1 Sacramento sports reporter Michelle Dapper goes back to December 2, 2012, when she was working as a sports reporter at NBC affiliate KHQ-DT 6.1 and its sister channel SWX 6.2 in Spokane, Washington. I was working for Ohlone College Television in Fremont, California and my producer needed courtesy video from the Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Stanford Cardinal women’s college basketball game that was televised on SWX on the weekly sports news show I was directing. I emailed Dapper as well as her KHQ/SWX colleague, former CNN Sports Illustrated/CNN International World Sport anchor Dave Cotton, for assistance. Dapper, who responded to my request via email, informed me that she too had worked at Ohlone College Television in order to gain hands-on television production experience during a weekly news program while she was attending San Francisco State University many years ago, provided me with Electronic News Gathering (ENG) video she had shot at the game, featuring the daughters of current Oregon State University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Wayne Tinkle (then coaching men’s basketball at the University of Montana), Stanford University forward Joslyn Tinkle (#44 in red) and Gonzaga University forward Elle Tinkle (#31 in white) guarding each other. Video below courtesy KHQ/SWX.]

Because the yet-to-be-finalized NWSL expansion franchise in Sacramento, if it were launched in time for the NWSL college entry draft on January 16, 2020, would have the 1st overall draft pick, there was no doubt which player Matt Álvarez was targeting: sensational Florida State University and Venezuelan National Team midfielder/forward “Queen” Deyna Castellanos.

¡GOLAZO DE MEDIA CANCHA! Venezuelan women’s national fútbol team midfielder/forward “Queen” Deyna Castellanos scored two GOLAZOS, including an outrageous GOLAZO DE MEDIA CANCHA from the centre circle on kickoff deep into second half stoppage time, during the Venezuela vs Cameroon FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup match at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan on October 3, 2016. Courtesy FIFA/Meridiano TV (Venezuela) via YouTube.

¡GOLAZO OLÍMPICO! Florida State University women’s soccer midfielder/forward “Queen” Deyna Castellanos (VEN) scored this GOLAZO OLÍMPICO directly from a corner kick during this Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) women’s soccer quarterfinal match against Clemson University at Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Florida on November 3, 2019. Originally televised on ACC Network. Play-by-play commentator: Steve Schlanger. Analyst: Cat Whitehill. Courtesy ACC/ESPN, Inc.

What appeared to me to be the “grand plan”, presumably concocted by Matt Álvarez and NWSL officials, was for the proposed NWSL expansion franchise in Sacramento to play home matches on Saturday nights, presumably at 8pm Pacific Time (11pm Eastern), on U.S. free-to-air terrestrial television network Telemundo (with possible English-language simulcast on all sports pay TV network NBCSN) so that the NWSL can earn a substantial media rights fee from NBC Sports Group/Telemundo Deportes.

Because Castellanos had college soccer eligibility remaining at Florida State University until the NCAA Division I Women’s College Cup Final on December 8, 2019, Castellanos could not hire an agent or contact anyone associated with the NWSL including Matt Álvarez until her eligibility had expired.

However, Castellanos could use social media, particularly Twitter, to signal her intention. On November 1, 2019, Castellanos tweeted to indicate that she had no interest in the NWSL, especially an expansion team in Sacramento playing in a temporary stadium with no coaching staff and no players signed:

Without Castellanos, the U.S. media rights to the NWSL would be worth virtually nothing to NBC Sports Group, as the value to the Spanish-language media rights had become almost worthless to Telemundo Deportes.

On November 8, 2019, Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourand reported that CBS Sports had blown away incumbent Turner Sports and rival bids from ESPN, FOX Sports, and NBC Sports Group to land the U.S. English-language media rights to the UEFA Champions League for the August 2021-June 2024 contract cycle for approximately $330 million ($110 million/season), almost double what Turner Sports paid ($180 million) for the same rights during the current August 2018-June 2021 contract cycle.

Octagon Global Media Rights Consulting division Senior Vice President Daniel Cohen then posted this Tweet, which would turn out to be a true “tell” to indicate that he would contact CBS Sports, presumably Chairman Sean McManus and/or Executive Vice President of Programming Dan Weinberg, in order to see whether CBS Sports were willing to offer a rights fee for U.S. English-language media rights to the NWSL.

Octagon Global Media Rights Consulting Senior Vice President Daniel Cohen. Courtesy Octagon.

CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus. Courtesy ViacomCBS.

CBS Sports Executive Vice President of Programming Dan Weinberg. Courtesy ViacomCBS.

Deyna Castellanos’ College Soccer career ended on November 29, 2019, when visiting UCLA routed Florida State 4-0 in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament.

UCLA Bruins defeated Florida State University 4-0 in this National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Women’s Soccer quarterfinal match at Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Florida on November 29, 2019. Originally streamed at WatchESPN.com under the ACC Network+ brand. Play-by-play commentator: Ariya Massoudi. Analyst: Trevor DeGroot. Courtesy NCAA/ESPN, Inc.

The NWSL announced via Twitter on December 19, 2019 that the proposed expansion to Sacramento had been cancelled and the league would remain at 9 teams in 2020.

On January 2, 2020, Atlético de Madrid of La Liga Femenina officially announced the signing of Deyna Castellanos:

Castellanos would make her La Liga Femenina debut with Atlético de Madrid as a 2nd half substitute on January 11, 2020:

With Castellanos now playing in Spain, the NWSL is stuck without a Spanish-speaking star player who can appeal to the Spanish-speaking television audiences in the U.S. Furthermore, several Spanish-speaking players, notably Mexican Women’s National Team and former Chicago Red Stars midfielder María Sánchez, departed the NWSL for Spanish-speaking women’s fútbol leagues such as Liga MX Femenil in Mexico.

Octagon’s Cohen was left with no choice but to recommend his client, the NWSL, to sell all U.S. media rights to essentially the only U.S. English-language sports TV entity which sees any significant value in the U.S. media rights to the NWSL as it stood in early 2020, namely CBS Sports.

On February 5, 2020, Sports Illustrated sports writer Grant Wahl reported that over a dozen NWSL matches each season will be aired on either the free-to-air terrestrial broadcast network CBS (which reaches over 120 million U.S. TV households) or the all-sports pay TV network CBS Sports Network (which reaches only 50 million U.S. TV households). Once NFL and American College Football start in September, NWSL matches can only air on CBS Sports Network on Sunday afternoons. NWSL matches not selected for presentation on linear television will be available via the pay subscription Internet streaming video service CBS All Access, which currently costs $5.99/month with advertising, or $9.99/month without.

Why Kate Scott is a better fit for Number 1 Play-by-play position for NWSL on CBS Sports than incumbent Jenn Hildreth

Because Atlanta-based sportscaster Jenn Hildreth, who was the primary U.S. English-language television play-by-play voice for the NWSL in 2015-2019, is a freelancer whose primary contract is with ESPN, Inc. and has been assigned the top two women’s college soccer products, the NCAA Division I Women’s College Cup on ESPNU and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) women’s soccer match of the week on ACC Network, other major sports media entities such as CBS Sports will need to obtain permission from ESPN, Inc. in order to hire her to call NWSL matches.

NWSL on Lifetime play-by-play announcer Jenn Hildreth (left) and match analyst/co-commentator Aly Wagner broadcast the Portland Thorns vs North Carolina 2017 NWSL Championship Match at Orlando City Stadium (since renamed Exploria Stadium) on October 14, 2017. Courtesy NWSL/Lifetime Television.

Because there is no guarantee that ESPN, Inc. will give permission to CBS Sports to hire Hildreth for even one NWSL match, and because CBS Sports has other projects that will require the deployment of a female sports play-by-play announcer, CBS Sports has the option to go in another direction by finding a female play-by-play announcer who can call multiple sports, including soccer, to the highest standards.

CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus has been looking for a female sports TV play-by-play announcer who, besides being able to call play-by-play of a variety of men’s and women’s college “Olympic” sports on CBS Sports Network such as the Mountain West Conference Women’s Basketball tournament in Las Vegas each March, is capable of calling American College Football, particularly the Mountain West Conference, on CBS Sports Network and has potential to be able to call National Football League (NFL) games on CBS to the highest standards.

Furthermore, McManus would like this female play-by-play announcer to ultimately become good enough to call play-by-play on an alternative all-female broadcast of the NFL Super Bowl, presumably with legendary sports TV correspondent and Amazon Prime Video NFL Thursday Night Football analyst (2018-2019) Andrea Kremer (whose 61st birthday will be on February 25, 2020) as her partner, to complement the existing traditional all-male broadcast on free-to-air terrestrial broadcast network CBS.

According to agent Sandy Montag of The Montag Group, McManus had been able to obtain permission from ESPN, Inc. to hire legendary play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins, who has called NFL Monday Night Football games in September 2017 and September 2018, to call 3 NFL games in 2017, 1 NFL game in 2018 and 1 NFL game in 2019 for regional broadcast on free-to-air terrestrial broadcast television stations affiliated with CBS, for a talent fee of $10,000 per NFL game.

Hiring Beth Mowins to call 1-3 regular season NFL games on a limited number of CBS affiliates appears to me to be a stop gap measure for McManus until he can find the right female play-by-play announcer to become part of the stable of play-by-play announcers at CBS Sports, as ESPN, Inc. apparently will not grant permission to Mowins to call an alternative all-female broadcast of the NFL Super Bowl for CBS Sports.

On September 21, 2017, CBS News reporter Reena Ninan interviewed legendary sports television play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins, 10 days after she called play-by-play commentary of the Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers National Football League (NFL) game for ESPN (U.S.) Monday Night Football on September 11 and 3 days prior to calling play-by-play commentary of the Indianapolis Colts vs Cleveland Browns NFL game on September 24 for regional broadcast on selected free-to-air terrestrial broadcast television stations affiliated with the CBS broadcast network. Courtesy CBS News.

Sportscaster Beth Mowins was featured in Episode 5 of the “Unstoppable” documentary video series profiling women involved with the National Football League (NFL). The video, which also contain interviews with Oakland Raiders television analyst/former quarterback Rich Gannon and sportscaster Kate Scott, was shot in the San Francisco Bay Area on August 23-24, 2018 while Mowins was assigned by the Oakland Raiders syndicated television network to call television play-by-play commentary of the Oakland Raiders vs Green Bay Packers NFL pre-season game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California. Courtesy NFL/Oakland Raiders/Marriott International via Facebook.

One of Mowins’ protégés, 37-year-old Oakland, California based multi-sport play-by-play announcer Kate Scott, has emerged as a candidate that fits exactly what McManus has been looking for, as Scott has demonstrated since 2011 that she is capable of calling multiple men’s and women’s sports, including men’s and women’s basketball and soccer, women’s softball and volleyball, and most importantly, College Football and even the NFL, to the highest standards.

The openly-gay Scott, who began her media career in the San Francisco Bay Area in radio after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley at 2005, joined all-sports radio station KNBR-AM 680 “The Sports Leader” as its morning sports news update anchor in 2011. She would remain at KNBR-AM until she resigned in 2017 due to the time demands of her sports television play-by-play assignments.

2013 photo of sportscaster Kate Scott working at the sports news update desk at KNBR-AM 680 “The Sports Leader” in San Francisco, California. Courtesy KNBR-AM/Cumulus Media.

Scott also served as the touchline reporter for regional telecasts of Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise San José Earthquakes in 2013-2015 before she was replaced by field-level analyst Danielle Slaton prior to the start of the 2016 MLS season. (Slaton returned home to San José in August 2015 and took a full-time position as an administrator at her alma-mater Santa Clara University after she spent several years in Chicago working and earning a master’s degree at Northwestern University.)

San José Earthquakes (MLS) regional television touchline reporter Kate Scott (left) interviewed forward Chris Wondolowski after the Earthquakes defeated Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on Saturday, March 14, 2015 in a match televised on San Francisco-based regional sports network Comcast SportsNet California (since renamed NBC Sports California). Courtesy MLS/San José Earthquakes/NBC Sports Group.

Scott began calling sports television play-by-play commentary in August 2011 when she called High School American Football games for Xfinity by Comcast cable television systems in Northern California.

Scott joined San Francisco-based PAC-12 Networks in 2015. Besides hosting studio shows and sideline reporting at live men’s college sports events, she called television play-by-play of women’s college sports including basketball, softball and volleyball.

Highlights from the women’s basketball exhibition game between Stanford University and the United States Women’s National Team at Roscoe Maples Pavilion on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California on November 2, 2019. Originally broadcast on U.S. all-sports pay TV network PAC-12 Network. Play-by-play: Kate Scott. Analyst: Mary Murphy. Courtesy PAC-12 Networks.

University of Oregon batter Shannon Rhodes hit this walk-off home run to defeat UCLA 3-0 in a women’s softball game played at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene, Oregon on March 18, 2018. Originally broadcast on U.S. all-sports pay TV network PAC-12 Network. Play-by-play: Kate Scott. Courtesy PAC-12 Conference.

Match point from the Stanford Cardinal vs Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s volleyball match at Roscoe Maples Pavilion on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California on August 28, 2016. Originally broadcast on U.S. all-sports pay TV network PAC-12 Network. Play-by-play: Kate Scott. Analyst: Don Shaw. Courtesy PAC-12 Conference.

Among the sports media entities Scott has called television play-by-play is NBC Sports Group, which likes her play-by-play work well enough to be willing to pay her travel cost from the San Francisco Bay Area to the East Coast to call Atlantic 10 Conference women’s college basketball on NBCSN each winter.

Play-by-play announcer Kate Scott (left) and analyst Debbie Taylor opened the telecast of the University of Massachusetts Minutewomen vs Richmond University Spiders women’s college basketball game at Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts on January 29, 2020. Courtesy Atlantic 10 Conference/NBC Sports Group.

In January 2020, Scott began calling television play-by-play commentary of men’s college basketball, when she partnered with former University of San Francisco men’s basketball head coach Dan Belluomini to call West Coast Conference (WCC) games in the San Francisco Bay Area for various television and Internet streaming outlets.

Saint Mary’s College of California Gaels vs University of Portland Pilots Men’s College Basketball game played at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California on January 30, 2020 as broadcast on free-to-air terrestrial broadcast television and Internet streaming video service Stadium. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott. Analyst: Dan Belluomini. Courtesy West Coast Conference (WCC)/Stadium/Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

University of San Francisco Dons vs Gonzaga University Bulldogs Men’s College Basketball game played at War Memorial Gymnasium in San Francisco, California on February 1, 2020 as broadcast on U.S. regional sports pay TV networks NBC Sports California and ROOT Sports Northwest. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott. Analyst: Dan Belluomini. Courtesy West Coast Conference (WCC)/NBC Sports Group/AT&T Sports Networks, LLC.

Santa Clara University Broncos vs Loyola Marymount University Lions Men’s College Basketball game played at Leavey Center in Santa Clara, California on February 15, 2020 as broadcast on U.S. regional sports pay TV network NBC Sports Bay Area. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott. Analyst: Dan Belluomini. Courtesy West Coast Conference (WCC)/NBC Sports Group.

In August 2016, Scott filled in as the radio play-by-play announcer for 2 NFL San Francisco 49ers pre-season games on KNBR-AM 680 when Bob Fitzgerald had to move over from radio to TV play-by-play to cover for Ted Robinson, who was on assignment in Rio de Janeiro with NBC Sports to call Olympic tennis. Scott is 1 of only 6 women to have called play-by-play of any NFL game [along with Gayle Sierens, Georgina Ruiz-Sandoval (in Spanish for ESPN Latin America, off monitor from Bristol, Connecticut in the early 2000’s before ESPN Deportes US launched in January 2004), Beth Mowins, Hannah Storm and Rebeca Landa (in Spanish for ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America, off monitor from Mexico City)], and the only woman to do so on radio.

Scott was assigned by PAC-12 Networks to call television play-by-play of American College Football for the first time in her career, when she called the Arizona vs Northern Arizona game for broadcast on regional sports network PAC-12 Arizona on September 2, 2017.

Play-by-play announcer Kate Scott’s call of the punt return for a touchdown by University of Arizona Wildcats punt returner Shun Brown during the 1st quarter of an American College Football game against Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona on September 2, 2017 as broadcast on U.S. regional sports pay TV PAC-12 Arizona. Play-by-play: Kate Scott. Analyst: Glenn Parker. Courtesy PAC-12 Conference.

In 2019, PAC-12 Networks assigned Scott to call 2 American College Football games from her alma-mater, the University of California at Berkeley a.k.a. “Cal”.

Highlights from the California vs North Texas American College Football game played at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California on Saturday, September 14, 2019 as broadcast on U.S. regional sports network PAC-12 Bay Area. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott. Analyst: Lincoln Kennedy. Courtesy PAC-12 Conference.

Highlights from the California vs Oregon State American College Football game played at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California on Saturday, October 18, 2019 as broadcast on U.S. all-sports pay TV network PAC-12 Network. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott. Analyst: Chad Brown. Sideline reporter: Samantha Peszek. Courtesy PAC-12 Conference.

Kate Scott has made no secret of her desire to call television play-by-play of FIFA Men’s World Cup USA/Canada/Mexico 2026 for FOX Sports (U.S.). Jenn Hildreth encouraged Scott to pursue that goal:

Kate Scott began her pursuit of her goal by making herself available to PAC-12 Networks to call play-by-play of men’s and women’s college soccer beginning in August 2017.

Scott’s first ever college soccer play-by-play assignment took place at Edwards Stadium at the University of California at Berkeley on August 20, 2017, when she called the California Golden Bears vs Santa Clara University Broncos women’s college soccer match for PAC-12 Networks with analyst Aly Wagner:

University of California Golden Bears vs Santa Clara University Broncos Women’s College Soccer match played at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, California on Sunday, August 20, 2017 as broadcast on U.S. all-sports pay TV network PAC-12 Network. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott. Analyst: Aly Wagner. Courtesy PAC-12 Conference.

After Scottish play-by-play announcer Derek Rae was able to obtain the video and review Scott’s work, I understand that Rae encouraged Scott to continue calling soccer play-by-play and he began offering her constructive criticism and advice.

Derek Rae has a long track record over the past 30 years of mentoring his match analyst partners, especially women in recent years as they gain acceptance in calling men’s soccer matches in addition to women’s matches. Kate Scott is believed to be the first female sports television play-by-play announcer Rae is actively mentoring.

Two calls by Kate Scott from the last two college soccer matches she called, a Men’s Round of 32 and a Women’s Round of 16 NCAA Division I soccer championship tournament matches played as a doubleheader at Stanford University on November 24, 2019, went viral.

More Macario Magic! Kate Scott’s call of this GOLAZO by Stanford University Cardinal Brazil-born forward Catarina Macario (USA) at the 30th minute of this NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship Round of 16 match against Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California on Sunday November 24, 2019 as broadcast on U.S. all-sports pay TV network PAC-12 Network. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott. Analyst: Christopher Sullivan. Courtesy NCAA/PAC-12 Networks.

Are you kidding me! Kate Scott’s call of the 4th penalty save by Stanford University Cardinal goalkeeper Andrew Thomas (ENG) during the penalty shootout of this NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship Soccer Round of 32 match against Seattle University Redhawks at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California on Sunday November 24, 2019 as broadcast on regional sports network PAC-12 Bay Area. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott. Analyst: Christopher Sullivan. Courtesy NCAA/PAC-12 Networks.

March 6, 2020 and April 2, 2020 updates: at this point in time, we do not know whether Kate Scott will still be available to CBS Sports. On February 16, NBC Sports Group announced that Kate Scott will call play-by-play commentary as part of an all-female production team for the Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues National Hockey League (NHL) game broadcast on all-sports pay TV network NBCSN on March 8, 2020 at 7pm Eastern Time.

Highlights of the Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues National Hockey League (NHL) game on Sunday, March 8, 2020 as broadcast on U.S. all sports pay TV network NBCSN. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott (USA). Booth-level game analyst: AJ Mleczko (USA). Ice-level game analyst: Kendall Coyne Schofield (USA). Courtesy NHL/NBC Sports Group.

On Her Turf video from the NBCSN telecast of the Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues National Hockey League (NHL) game on Sunday, March 8, 2020. Play-by-play announcer: Kate Scott (USA). Booth-level game analyst: AJ Mleczko (USA). Ice-level game analyst: Kendall Coyne Schofield (USA). Studio host: Katherine Tappen (USA). Studio analyst: Jennifer Botterill (CAN). Producer: Rene Hatlelid (USA). Associate Producer: Kaitlin Urka (USA). Director: Lisa Seltzer (USA). Courtesy NHL/NBC Sports Group.

Team photograph from the Stamford, Connecticut studio of the NBCSN telecast of the Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues National Hockey League (NHL) game on International Women’s Day, Sunday, March 8, 2020. Studio host Katherine Tappen (USA) and studio analyst Jennifer Botterill (CAN) are 4th and 5th from left in the front row. Courtesy NBC Sports Group via Instagram.

Team photograph from United Center in Chicago where the NBCSN telecast of the Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues National Hockey League (NHL) game on International Women’s Day, Sunday, March 8, 2020 took place. Director Lisa Seltzer, play-by-play commentator Kate Scott, booth-level game analyst AJ Mleczko, ice-level “Inside the Glass” game analyst Kendall Coyne Schofield, Producer Rene Hatlelid and Associate Producer Kaitlin Urka are 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th from left in the front row respectively. Courtesy NBC Sports Group via Instagram.

Who should be the match analyst for the Number 1 NWSL on CBS Sports broadcast team?

39-year-old Aly Wagner of San José, California is by far the top U.S. English-language female soccer analyst in the U.S., having already shattered the glass ceiling by being the first woman in the English-speaking world to call Men’s World Cup matches on television when she called 13 FIFA Men’s World Cup Russia 2018 matches for FOX Sports (U.S.) with Scottish play-by-play announcer Derek Rae.

CBS Sports will need to contact FOX Sports (U.S.) for permission to hire Wagner, who had been the Number 1 match analyst for NWSL telecasts since 2017, to return for the 2020 season.

At this point, I do not know of any reason for FOX Sports (U.S.) to block any attempt by CBS Sports to hire Wagner to call NWSL matches in 2020, as FOX Sports cannot offer enough work to Wagner to convert her contract from freelance to exclusive staff.

Because Kate Scott and Aly Wagner have called numerous PAC-12 women’s soccer matches together in 2017 and 2018, both are familiar with each other and there should not be any chemistry issues between Scott and Wagner.

Who are the candidates for the Number 2 NWSL on CBS Sports broadcast team?

2015 Women’s World Cup Champion and 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist Heather O’Reilly, who retired from the NWSL after winning the 2019 Championship with the North Carolina Courage, is the logical choice for the match analyst role on the Number 2 NWSL broadcast team, which may be needed only once during the 2020 season, namely semifinal weekend when 2 televised matches may take place back-to-back at different stadiums.

O’Reilly, who is expecting a baby in June and has assistant coaching duties with the University of North Carolina women’s soccer team from August through November, has experience as a studio pundit for both Channel 4 UK during UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 and for FOX Sports during FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, but has no professional experience in the broadcast booth that I know of.

FOX Sports (U.S.) FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 studio pundit Heather O’Reilly appeared on FOX affiliate KCPQ-DT 13.1 “Q13 FOX” Seattle on July 3, 2019. Courtesy KCPQ-DT/FOX Television Stations, LLC.

From the pool of play-by-play announcers who called “World Feeds” of NWSL matches during the past two seasons off monitor from Vista Worldlink in Dania Beach, Florida, two females have emerged as possible candidates to be on the Number 2 NWSL on CBS Sports broadcast team and to call one of the semifinal matches each season.

25-year old Nottingham, England native Poppy Miller will begin her 3rd year as television play-by-play announcer for United Soccer League (USL) club Charleston Battery in March. She will be available to travel to Vista Worldlink to call NWSL and USL matches off monitor on weekends when the Charleston Battery plays on the road.

25-year-old Nottingham, England native Poppy Miller has been employed by the “Division 2” United Soccer League (USL) men’s professional soccer club Charleston Battery in Charleston, South Carolina since March 2017, 2 months before she graduated from the University of South Carolina at Beaufort. Miller was promoted twice at the Charleston Battery, first from digital host/video producer to television match analyst near the end of the 2017 season, and to television play-by-play commentator prior to the start of the 2018 season. She has freelanced for Soccer United Marketing (SUM), including calling play-by-play commentary of the Atlanta United (MLS) vs Saint Louis FC (USL) United States Open Cup quarterfinal game from Kennesaw, Georgia on July 10, 2019 for the subscription Internet streaming video service ESPN+. Miller has recently begun working as a women’s college soccer play-by-play commentator and field hockey analyst for ESPN Networks including ESPNU, SEC Network, and the ACC syndicated regional network. Courtesy Poppy Miller via YouTube.

The Atlanta United FC (MLS) vs Saint Louis FC (USL) US Open Cup quarterfinal match at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia on July 10, 2019 as presented on pay-subscription Internet streaming service ESPN+. Play-by-play commentator: Poppy Miller (ENG). Match analyst/co-commentator: Charlie Davies (USA). Reporter: Tyler Terens (USA). Courtesy United States Soccer Federation/Soccer United Marketing (SUM)/ESPN, Inc.

Highlights of the Orlando Pride vs Utah Royals NWSL match at Orlando City Stadium on April 27, 2019. Announcers were calling this match off monitor from Vista Worldlink in Dania Beach, Florida. Play-by-play: Poppy Miller (ENG). Analyst: Dan Lauletta (USA). Courtesy NWSL.

Miller used her knowledge and experience as a former college soccer defender to put herself in a position to be lucky at the end of the last match she called, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks vs Washington State University Cougars 2019 NCAA’s Division I women’s soccer quarterfinal match on November 29, 2019.

Miller noticed Washington State University defender Mikyaa Minniss running up the field toward the far post, behind the South Carolina defenders who had no idea Minniss was behind them. Miller communicated Minniss’ movement to the viewers.

Sure enough, Minniss was left unmarked and had an easy opportunity to score the “golden” goal to allow the “Cinderella” Cougars to crash the College Cup in San José, California the following week.

Cinderella crashes the College Cup! Washington State University Cougars defender Mikyaa Minniss (USA) scored the “Golden Goal” during the 96th minute of the NCAA Division I Women’s College Soccer Tournament Quarterfinal match against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks at Eugene E. Stone III Stadium at the University of South Carolina at Columbia in Columbia, South Carolina, USA on November 29, 2019. Originally streamed at watchESPN.com under the SEC Network+ brand. Play-by-play: Poppy Miller (ENG). Analyst: Brian Hand (USA). Courtesy NCAA/ESPN, Inc.

February 21, 2020 update: newly-minted 33-year-old MLS Columbus Crew regional television match analyst (on regional sports networks FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio) and former Colorado Rapids regional television studio host/touchline reporter/fill-in match analyst Jordan Angeli,

Hosting and Social Media demo reel of 33-year-old television sportscaster Jordan Angeli. Courtesy Jordan Angeli via Vimeo.

…has been aggressive in increasing her volume of soccer play-by-play assignments, including men’s and women’s college soccer on site, as well as NWSL and CONCACAF World Feeds called off monitor from Vista Worldlink in Dania Beach, Florida.

Angeli, whose latest play-by-play assignments took place during the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament in early February 2020, has work to do, as her play-by-play sounds somewhat disjointed. Angeli also has a tendency to SHOUT play-by-play instead of call or “sing” play-by-play the likes of Kate Scott, Poppy Miller and legendary British play-by-play commentator Jacqui Oatley do.

Highlights from the Canada vs Costa Rica CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Semifinal match played at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California on February 7, 2020. World Feed announcers were calling this match off monitor from Vista Worldlink in Dania Beach, Florida. Play-by-play: Jordan Angeli (USA). Analyst: Lori Lindsey (USA). Courtesy CONCACAF.

Chicago-based jack-of-all-trades freelance sportscaster Lisa Byington, who made numerous errors as the Number 4 play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports (U.S.) during FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, as well as Portland, Oregon-based PAC-12 Networks men’s and women’s multi-sport play-by-play announcer Ann Schatz who has a tendency to lose track of the action especially at night, are NOT expected to be considered by CBS Sports as play-by-play announcers for NWSL matches.

February 18, 2020 Update: one “in house” female play-by-play announcer candidate is CBS Sports Radio host Amy Lawrence, whose show After Hours with Amy Lawrence airs on Mondays through Fridays at 2-6am Eastern Time.

Lawrence’s play-by-play commentary experience has been in College Basketball, particularly Columbia University women’s home games broadcast on New York-based regional sports network SNY:

Columbia University Lions vs Brown University Bears women’s college basketball game at Levien Gymnasium in New York City on March 1, 2019 as broadcast on regional sports network SportsNet New York (SNY) and streamed on the pay-subscription Internet streaming video service ESPN+. Play-by-play: Amy Lawrence (USA). Analyst: Kim Adams (USA). Courtesy Ivy League/SNY/ESPN, Inc.

Lawrence does have the energy and enthusiasm for soccer, as she has interviewed both Heather O’Reilly…

…and CBS Sports HQ soccer analyst Thomas Rongen for After Hours with Amy Lawrence in the past:

Because Lawrence has no prior experience calling soccer television play-by-play, we have no idea yet how good her soccer television play-by-play work will be.

March 6, 2020 update: Amy Lawrence responded to my question via Twitter to essentially remove herself from consideration as NWSL television play-by-play announcer.

Which sportscaster is the biggest loser from the sale of NWSL U.S. media rights?

By far the biggest loser from the sale of the U.S. media rights of the NWSL to CBS Sports instead of NBC Sports Group is current NBC Sports English Premier League studio host Rebecca Lowe, who has been living in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains east of Sacramento in Northern California Gold Country since 2016 and has chosen to plant roots in the area even after her husband, former United Soccer League (USL) Sacramento Republic FC head coach Paul Buckle, departed the club “by mutual consent” in February 2018.

Lowe, whose lucrative staff contract with NBC Sports Group as host of English Premier League studio shows on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as well as the Olympics on weekday afternoons (U.S. time) will expire in May 2022, doubled down on the Sacramento market by purchasing a mansion with a spectacular view of Folsom Lake about 25 miles/40 km east of Sacramento (125 miles/200 km northeast of San Francisco) for $1.465 million in September 2018.

NBC Sports English Premier League host Rebecca Lowe (ENG) invited her colleagues Robbie Mustoe (ENG) and Robbie Earle (JAM) with their spouses to her mansion in Northern California Gold Country on July 7, 2019. From left to right: Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe, Rebecca Lowe, Caroline Mustoe, Sandra Earle and Lowe’s husband, former United Soccer League (USL) Sacramento Republic FC Head Coach Paul Buckle (ENG). Photo courtesy Rebecca Lowe via Instagram. Video courtesy Thrive Real Estate/Glenn Rose Photography via Vimeo. Audio from “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” courtesy Rysher Television Program Enterprises. Theme music “Come With Me Now” composed by Bill Conti.

According to her Instagram account, Lowe founded her own media production company to develop women’s lifestyle video programming in 2019 and she had made frequent trips to NBC Entertainment offices in Universal City, California on weekdays when she was off duty from her English Premier League hosting assignments at NBC Sports Group International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Connecticut.

If the NWSL had decided to expand to Sacramento in 2020, the U.S. media rights to the NWSL would likely have gone to NBC Sports Group, as the only reason why the Sacramento Republic FC organization would want an NWSL expansion franchise in 2020 was to be able to build the expansion team around Venezuelan sensation Deyna Castellanos.

Once Castellanos decided she wanted nothing to do with an expansion NWSL team playing in a temporary stadium in Sacramento with no players or coaches hired, she was going to choose what she thought was best for her as a player by signing with Atlético de Madrid of La Liga Femenina in Spain instead.

As a result, the Sacramento Republic FC organization had no reason to take on the additional expense of an NWSL expansion team before the new stadium is built and the MLS expansion team to be launched in 2022 is running smoothly. One would not expect the Sacramento Republic FC organization to consider purchasing an NWSL expansion franchise until 2023 at the earliest.

If the NWSL had expanded to Sacramento and was able to sell U.S. media rights to NBC Sports Group instead of CBS Sports, then Lowe would be the obvious candidate to become an NWSL TV play-by-play announcer, especially matches to be played in Sacramento as well as other west coast NWSL venues such as Portland, Oregon and Tacoma, Washington.

Even though Lowe had no previous soccer television play-by-play commentary experience and there is no guarantee that Lowe would succeed as a play-by-play announcer, she had never been given an opportunity to switch from studio host to play-by-play commentary in a relatively low risk situation. If Lowe were to succeed as a play-by-play commentator, she could potentially extend her sports TV career by about 20 years.

Once Octagon’s Daniel Cohen decided on behalf of the NWSL to seek out, and eventually sell U.S. media rights to the NWSL to CBS Sports, Lowe’s path from the studio to the broadcast booth effectively vanished.

In my opinion, Rebecca Lowe now faces an IMMINENT threat to her sports television career, as the statements she made in the Richard Deitsch podcast that was released on August 7, 2018, which put her on the record opposing all-female telecasts of men’s professional sports on the weekend around International Women’s Day each March 8, have put her on a collision course with the National Hockey League (NHL), namely NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors representing each of the 31 NHL clubs.

The NHL, which designated March as “Gender Equality Month”, desperately needs the positive public relations that will be generated as a result of the planned all-female NHL game broadcast on U.S. pay TV network NBCSN on Sunday, March 8, 2020.

Unless Lowe were to fully understand the severity of her situation and take the correct course of action between now and March 1, 2020 in order to convince NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors beyond any reasonable doubt that she can still be trusted to deliver NHL on NBC programming promos, particularly the promo regarding the Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues NHL game on NBCSN on Sunday, March 8, 2020 at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific Daylight Time, Commissioner Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors have the right to demand NBC Sports Group officials to remove Lowe from ALL NBC Sports Group television programming, including Premier League Mornings on NBC and NBCSN, prior to the weekend of March 7-8, 2020.

“If you don’t trust the singer, you won’t trust the song.” – Rogers Sportsnet (Canada) Hockey Night in Canada and Rogers Hometown Hockey host Ron MacLean.

Opening segment of Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) on April 6, 2019 with host Ron MacLean (CAN) and 85-year-old play-by-play commentator Bob Cole (CAN), who retired after 50 years as one of the voices of ice hockey on Canadian English-language television. The telecast aired across Canada on free-to-air terrestrial broadcast network Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and all-sports pay-TV network Rogers Sportsnet, and across the U.S. on pay-TV network NHL Network. Courtesy National Hockey League (NHL)/Rogers Media.

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About Oliver Tse

Oliver Tse operated Oliver Tse Management Group in 2006-2009 to secure product endorsement opportunities for poker players and broadcast talent appearing on televised poker events such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the World Poker Tour (WPT), and the NBC Sports National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Among his clients were 3 out of 9 players at the 2007 WSOP Main Event Final Table airing on ESPN (including the champion), the first woman to win a mix-gender WPT event (at the 2008 WPT Celebrity Invitational), and the first female sportscaster on U.S. Spanish-language television who made a successful career switch to poker announcing and hosting and became the original “Voice of Poker in Latin America.” Tse’s clients were deployed as brand ambassadors to emerging international markets for poker including Germany, Russia, Brazil, and Mexico. From 1995 through 2007, Tse founded and operated soccerTV.com, an Internet-based marketing business of televised soccer products for clients including ESPN, FOX Sports, and GOLTV. Tse holds a master’s degree in Financial Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and a master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Tse currently lives in San Francisco.

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