FOX Sports Salutes Military with Dual Veterans Day Broadcasts Live from Fort Benning on Sunday
Tribute to Service Members Includes Live Audiences for FOX NFL SUNDAY and FOX NFL KICKOFF
LOS ANGELES – As America collectively pauses on Veterans Day to honor those who have served our country, FOX Sports pays tribute to those U.S. service members with special editions of FOX NFL KICKOFF and FOX NFL SUNDAY, live from the grounds of Fort Benning, Ga., before an audience of hundreds of active soldiers and veterans.
The Sunday, Nov. 11, editions of FOX NFL KICKOFF and FOX NFL SUNDAY (11:00 AM ET & 12:00 PM ET on FOX) originate from the U.S. Army installation that celebrates its centennial this year and is the Home of Infantry and the Armor. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees on a daily basis.
“Honoring the Armed Forces on Veterans Day and throughout the year is one of FOX Sports’ most intrinsic commitments and passions,” said FOX Sports President & Executive Producer, Eric Shanks. “We are incredibly thankful to Fort Benning for graciously hosting us again, and we look forward to highlighting U.S. service members there and around the world who bravely defend our freedoms.”
This year’s live broadcast from Fort Benning, through which Generals Eisenhower, Patton and Powell have passed, continues a longstanding tradition of FOX NFL SUNDAY broadcasting from a military installation on the holiday weekend, while it marks FOX NFL KICKOFF’s second military remote. Fort Benning also provided the backdrop for FOX NFL SUNDAY on Veterans Day weekend in 2014. Historically, FOX Sports has saluted the troops from Naval Station Norfolk (2017), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (2015), Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan (2009), and the USS Harry S. Truman in the Mediterranean Sea (2000), among multiple other locations.
Hundreds of active service members and veterans will be part of the live audience for Sunday’s pregame shows, which showcase Fort Benning and its soldiers throughout the two hours of live programming. In addition, FOX Sports’ cameras will capture festivities underway at Fort Benning’s York Field as thousands of military members, their families and the larger community gather on the post to celebrate Veterans Day.
FOX NFL KICKOFF host Charissa Thompson and analysts Michael Vick, Dave Wannstedt, Tony Gonzalez and Peter Schrager welcome viewers to Fort Benning with multiple looks at the Georgia post throughout the hour. Features include skydiving with the Golden Knights and touring the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center and its Global War on Terrorism Memorial. The program also airs a feature on the building of the venerable military installation and its 100th anniversary.
At Noon ET, FOX NFL SUNDAY continues FOX Sports’ salute to the Armed Forces with co-hosts Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw and analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan and insider Jay Glazer. Features include a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the group receiving instruction regarding M1 Abrams tanks. Additionally, FOX NFL SUNDAY illustrates the breadth of Fort Benning’s current-day mission and previews the day’s Week 10 NFL matchups.
Rounding out the day’s events, FOX NFL broadcasters from both shows will play a game of flag football with soldiers at Doughboy Stadium, where Eisenhower served as an assistant football coach, and serve and eat lunch with soldiers. Special segments in both shows will profile the Army’s Soldier of the Year and winners of the International Sniper Competition, while the 32-piece Maneuver Center for Excellence Band provides the Veterans Day soundtrack for both shows, including a live performance of the National Anthem to conclude FOX NFL SUNDAY.
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing 21st Century FOX’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FOX Sports includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FS1, FS2; FOX Sports Regional Networks, their affiliated regional web sites and national programming; FOX Soccer Plus; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. In addition, FOX Sports also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, including FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app. Also included in the Group are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and BTN 2Go, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.
