The first Super Bowl to air on Walt Disney media properties in two decades is months away, but the company has so far tapped popular hosts like Scott Van Pelt and Stephen A. Smith as well as famous animated characters including Buzz Lightyear and Iron Man to call attention to the next Big Game. Now they’re really dialing up the firepower.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has a notable walk-on role in the next ESPN promo that reminds viewers about 2027’s Super Bowl LXI. In the spot, Goodell walks into a meeting that includes some of the sports-media giant’s most notable personalities, including Mike Greenberg, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. In a nod to the NFL Draft getting underway in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Steelers mascot Steely McBeam is on hand, along with ESPN mascot App-E.
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The NFL boss acts as if he’s calling out a finalized draft selection, and after awarding the 61st Super Bowl to ESPN, tells the assemblage: “You’re on the clock.” He then gives App-E an awkward hug and tells Buck, who has called six past Super Bowls, “Congratulations on your first Super Bowl.”
The humorous spot is part of a year-long effort by Disney to get audiences enthusiastic about its Super Bowl plans. When the company’s ESPN and ABC telecast Super Bowl LXI from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, they will do so on Sunday, February 14 — Valentine’s Day — with a federal holiday, President’s Day, on Monday.
Having Goodell take part is akin to inviting the CEO of Disney to get involved. In February, the league took a 10% stake in ESPN, the result of a deal that made NFL Network and NFL RedZone part of ESPN’s operations.
The promo, like previous Super Bowl teases, is meant to invite “fans along for the ride as ESPN prepares to produce its first Super Bowl,” said Jo Fox, senior vice president of marketing at ESPN, in a statement. “Each new piece of creative is an opportunity to celebrate our Year of the Super Bowl in a way that feels big, fun, and unexpected, just like the game itself. Authenticity is at the core of how we show up at ESPN, and for a Draft inspired spot, having Commissioner Goodell involved was essential. We’re grateful to him and the NFL for helping bring this to life around one of the league’s biggest moments.”
Under the terms of Disney’s’ agreement with the NFL, it will also feature a “ManningCast,” its popular “Monday Night Football” simulcast that features plenty of commentary and chatter from Peyton and Eli Manning and their guests, on ESPN2. Meanwhile, there are lots of conversations going on about tapping various parts of the Disney media empire to woo other audiences who might not ordinally tune in the football spectacle.
Disney has already moved aggressively to monetize its efforts. The company has been seeking around $10 million for a 30-second commercial in the 2027 gridiron classic, according to four people familiar with the matter. Media buyers have so far held their ground, waiting to see if Disney will tamp down its pricing expectations.
The game is a solid financial generator: Fox said in May of 2025 that it wrung $800 million worth of revenue from its telecast of Super Bowl LIX. And its audience continues to expand, something that can’t be said of scripted series in the streaming era.
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