ESPN’s famous new face already feels right at home on ‘Monday Night Football’

Leave it to the rookie to come into the new NFL season with unreasonable swagger. Jason Kelce, the recently retired Philadelphia Eagle, begins his new broadcasting gig—as an analyst on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown”—with an amusing 30-second promo in which he’s already taken over the network control room and is delivering dramatic monologues about the upcoming season like a pro. Scott Van Pelt and Marcus Spears, co-hosts of the “Monday Night Football” pregame show, are none too impressed by their new co-worker’s assertive attitude, though that’s surely what ESPN hired him for (along with his connection to Swiftie mania and the new NFL fans it brought in last season). The spot, created by Arts & Letters Creative Co., began airing Saturday (Aug. 24) and will run through Dec. 20 on linear and digital, including ESPN broadcasts and on ABC, Hulu, Nat Geo and FX. Also read: Jason Kelce returns to football ... in ads for Buffalo Wild Wings “There might not be a crew more ready to welcome football than Jason Kelce, Scott Van Pelt, Marcus Spears and the rest of the ‘Monday Night Countdown’ crew,” said Curtis Friends, VP of sports marketing at ESPN. “Monday Night Football and the NFL on ESPN continues to get bigger and bolder every season, and we can’t hardly wait for the fun ahead of kickoff.” “The NFL captured the attention of a whole new group of fans last season, and we knew we had to keep that momentum going for the return of football with ‘Welcome to Football,’” said Chris Kim, creative director at Arts & Letters. “Inviting those new fans in while also speaking to our die-hards was a unique challenge that only one voice felt right for: ESPN’s newest hire, Jason Kelce. With Jason at the helm, everybody will be ready for football this season, even if his enthusiasm gets the best of him messing around in Scott Van Pelt and Marcus Spears’ control room.” More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

ESPN’s famous new face already feels right at home on ‘Monday Night Football’

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