ESPN LA announced today that it has reached an agreement with the New York Jets to broadcast the team's games during the upcoming NFL season. All 16 regular-season games will air live on 710 ESPN, beginning with the Jets' Sept. 11 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
Led by former USC standout and Orange County native Mark Sanchez, the Jets have emerged as a perennial title contender, advancing to the AFC Championship Game the past two seasons. Prior to joining the Jets, Sanchez demonstrated his postseason prowess as a Trojan, earning Offensive MVP honors with a 413-yard performance in the 2009 Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.
"It's an honor to be able to bring Mark Sanchez back to LA and back to his huge local fan base," said Scott McCarthy, vice president/general manager of ESPN LA. "There is tremendous passion for the NFL here in LA, and this partnership with an elite franchise will further energize the Southland's sizable population of football fans, who continue to express excitement about the potential return of an NFL team to the region."
"I'm happy that Jets fans in the LA area will now be a part of our 2011 season," said Sanchez. "Their support has always been very important to me, and I look forward to sharing this exciting time with them."
The 710 ESPN broadcasts will feature the play-by-play tandem of Bob Wischusen and Marty Lyons, who begin their 10th season together as the voices of the Jets.
"We are excited to bring the broadcasts from our ESPN New York 1050 flagship station to the greater Los Angeles area," said Matt Higgins, the Jets' executive vice president of business operations. "The team has a strong national following, and we look forward to enhancing the experience for Jets fans in Southern California and across the country."
The flagship station of USC football, 710 ESPN is committed to amplifying its NFL programming and to showcasing Trojan legends, including Los Angeles native Keyshawn Johnson. Selected by the Jets with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft, Johnson will headline the NFL @ L.A. with Keyshawn Johnson, to air 8-9 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the NFL offseason and 7-9 a.m. during the season, beginning Aug. 14. 710 ESPN's Dave Shore will co-host with Johnson.
ESPN LA includes 710 ESPN Radio, ESPN's owned and operated radio station in Los Angeles, and ESPNLosAngeles.com, the leading sports site in Los Angeles. ESPN LA features exclusive and original sports content — including locally relevant breaking news, blogs, video, audio, analysis and features — created from branded programming, local contributors and ESPN's multiple platforms. ESPNLosAngeles.com and 710 ESPN are produced each day from the ESPN production center at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.
