Episode 375: Pregame - Behind the Scenes of Thursday Night Football & How to Prep for an NFL Broadcast

Calm Down with Erin and Charissa

iHeartPodcasts

Sports, Society & Culture

4.9 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Pregame edition of Calm Down with Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson is here—your weekly warmup for all things NFL, sports broadcasting, and real-life wisdom.

This episode, the ladies dive into your top questions, starting with a behind-the-scenes look at filming the Thursday Night Football intro. Charissa reveals what the shoot was like and how it’s changed from year 1 to today.

They also break down their note-prep process for NFL broadcasts—how they study, organize storylines, gather player details, and stay sharp before going live on game day. If you’ve ever wondered what separates good sideline reporting from great sideline reporting, you’ll love this insight.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Pregame episode without a little life coaching. This week’s dilemma:
Should I take a new job with better quality of life, or stick with the higher-paying role that comes with heavy travel and major stress? The ladies give thoughtful, honest advice you can actually use—whether you work in sports or any fast-paced career.

Expect laughs, truth bombs, and the kind of candid conversation only Erin and Charissa can deliver.

Send in your Pregame questions to @calmdownpodcast on Instagram or write us an email [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:02.6	Guaranteed Human.
0:04.8	I'm one of those people that I don't use my computer for notes at all.
0:08.3	I'm just too afraid that my luck, the computer's not going to be charged.
0:11.2	It's not going to work.
0:12.2	I'm going to have spilled water on it.
0:13.5	The computer's broken.
0:14.4	I lose everything.
0:15.3	I'm more of I have to write it down.
0:16.8	Calm down with Aaron and Carissa is a production of IHeart Radio.
0:25.3	Thank you. down. Calm down with Aaron and Carissa is a production of IHeart Radio. You look so fallish. What's that hat? A hat I paid way too much for because I was in
0:32.7	buying a birthday gift for Kaylee Hardtong. And I was like, oh, I'll take that hat. And it was one of those
0:38.3	things that I got real, because I love a hat in an airport, you know? And it's like, I love Ruby Ranch merch. I will wear it constantly. But every now and then, like, we get it. You have merch. You got a ranch? Yeah, exactly. I'm like, hey, bitch, you got any other hats in this rotation? So I'm like, oh, this is like fun and felt.
0:56.3	And normally I don't like the logo, but it was kind of like, hey, bitch, you got any other hats in this rotation? So I'm like, I'm like, oh, this is
0:55.3	like fun and felt. And normally I don't like the logo, but it was kind of like, you know, whatever hit. I love it. And so I get up to the register. I get up to the register because they don't, they don't, you know, they make it so hard on these things to find price tax. They really make you work because there's no way that you're going to agree to pay that much if you're standing there.
1:12.0	And so I'm going through the 14 pamphlets trying to find the tax. They really make you work because there's no way that you're going to agree to pay that much if you're standing there. And so I'm going through the 14 pamphlets trying to find the price. And I'm like, fuck it. I'll just deal with it when I get to the register. Get to the register. And they ring the whole thing up. And I'm like, whoa, what did I buy? And then the hat is X amount I'm like, if my father or mother knew how much I just paid for a goddamn baseball hat,
1:29.1	they would have my ass. I swear to God, they'd'm like, if my father or mother knew how much I just paid for a
1:27.8	goddamn baseball hat, they would have my ass. I swear to God, they'd be like, who do you think you
1:32.4	are? And then at that point, the transaction's already over. So I'm not going to ask them to return it.
1:37.1	And they've already given me the shot of espresso. They've already given me the sparkling water
1:40.5	on the tray. And I was like, I can't return the hat now. So I walked down and I was like, maybe I could return it.
1:47.8	And I was like, oh, fuck it. Anyways, with that, welcome to the pregame, everybody.
	...

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