Wednesday’s news that Good Morning Football will be moving from New York to Los Angeles came as a surprise to many. Including to those who work on the show.
Richard Deitsch of TheAthletic.com reports that “[t]he decision was a surprise to everyone” involved with the program.
Deitsch adds that an NFL spokesman declined to comment on whether the current cast will be making the move to Los Angeles, where it’s believed the show will run from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. local time.
The move was announced on Thursday’s episode of the show. The announcement, which carried the distinct whiff of a “this is fine” vibe, provided no real clarity. And it did nothing to counter the perception that the show as it has existed for nearly eight years is ending its run, with a relocated, rebooted, reimagined, and/or reconstituted program coming at some point later this year.
“You don’t end things that [insert boast about the show],” co-host Kyle Brandt declared. And he’s absolutely right.
You also don’t move it across the country for no apparent reason. You don’t risk losing one or more members of the cast by forcing them to choose between staying on the show and staying in New York. And you definitely don’t shut it all down for months, especially on the brink of the one month that includes the NFL’s premier offseason tentpole event, the draft.
The absence of transparency invites speculation. Friday, March 29, is the last business day of the month. Something apparently happens on April 1 — perhaps the studio lease is up or the current deal with the production company, Embassy Row, expires. (Embassy Row will still produce the show when it returns, after an extended hiatus.) Whatever it is, something tied to April 1 might be bringing about an extended disruption to a thing “you don’t end.”
Really, why wouldn’t the NFL keep televising the show in New York while preparations are being made for the move to L.A.?
It’s hard not to think that money was and is at the heart of this. Studio space will be free in L.A. Also, the show didn’t travel this year to the Super Bowl or to the Scouting Combine. That becomes a very easy way to trim costs.
Yes, at a time when the NFL is printing fat stacks, it seems to also be pinching pennies. To the point where the league is willingly mothballing its signature studio show — for months — and then starting it up again on the other side of the continent, with or without one or more new cast members, depending on who will or won’t choose to uproot their lives and make a cross-country move that apparently was dropped on them without notice or warning.
Yeah, football is family.
