Monday Night Football

Monday Night Football is a television broadcast of one of the premier National Football League games of the week. It airs live on the ABC television network in the United States on Monday nights during the NFL season, and is one of the most popular shows on American television, particularly among men. Monday Night Football (often informally abbreviated as MNF) is currently the second-longest-running prime time show on American television, after CBS's 60 Minutes.

1990s

In 1998, Lesley Visser became the first woman on Monday Night Football. She had been the first female beat writer in the NFL when she covered the New England Patriots for the Boston Globe in the mid-70's, and was the first and only woman to handle a Super Bowl presentation when she was a sportscaster with CBS. Visser was followed by several women on the sideline who were perceived as "eye candy," none of whom affected the ratings.

Related Topics:
1998 - Lesley Visser - NFL - New England Patriots - Boston Globe - Super Bowl - CBS

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For the 1998 season, ABC pushed Monday Night Football back an hour (it has usually aired at 9:00 p.m. EST). A special pregame show that was hosted by Chris Berman from the ESPN Zone restaurant in Baltimore was created. Despite leaving the booth, Frank Gifford stayed on one more year as a special contributor to the pregame show. Boomer Esiason replaced Gifford in 1998, and Dierdorf left for a return to CBS in 1999. Esiason's relationship with Michaels was questioned leading to his firing.

Related Topics:
EST - Chris Berman - ESPN Zone - Baltimore - Boomer Esiason - 1998 - 1999

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A mildly infamous incident came during the final 1998 telecast when Dierdorf asked Michaels, prior to a halftime interview with Buffalo Bills quarterback Doug Flutie, "Are you gonna tell 'em how you're sick of all this B.C. stuff?" Michaels (thinking that they had gone into a commercial break and that his microphone was off) replied, "No shit."

Related Topics:
Buffalo Bills - Doug Flutie - B.C. - Shit

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Nielsen numbers for the first 17 weeks of the 1998 TV season showed that Monday Night Football averaged a 13.9 rating. That's down 8 percent from 1997's 15.0--the previous standard in ratings futility. In actuality, MNF ratings had been hitting all-time record lows for the previous four years.

Related Topics:
Nielsen - 1997

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Beginning in 1999, Monday Night Football telecasts used a computer-generated yellow line to mark where a team needs to get a first down.

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Along with the renewed television contract, ABC was awarded the telecast to Super Bowl XXV and Super Bowl XXIX. The Monday Night Football team of announcers anchored the telecasts.

Related Topics:
Super Bowl XXV - Super Bowl XXIX

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