The 2026 World Series began on Friday, October 23, with the Milwaukee Brewers hosting the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field. However, amid FOX’s extensive pregame show and a production featuring more than 300 people, the network’s coverage is under scrutiny, with NFL legend JJ Watt now weighing in on the lengthy introduction.
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“This is a VERY long intro for the players to be standing on the field for…,” Watt wrote on X.
The game took place at American Family Field in Milwaukee. FOX carried the game, and its pregame presentation included a large on-field production before the first pitch. For broader context, FOX Sports published a video of the full opening ceremony with a runtime of 13 minutes and 53 seconds.
The production featured approximately 350 participants, largely from the Milwaukee area, including members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies and current and former marching-band members from nearby universities, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Other elements of the pregame festivities included Country Singer Mickey Guyton performing the U.S. National Anthem, a large American flag displayed on the field, a 15-year-old bald eagle named Valkyrie appearing during the ceremony, and a card-flip presentation depicting important dates and logos from the Brewers’ and Rays’ postseason runs.
Watt’s comments came after FOX had already planned an extensive World Series broadcast just a day before Game 1. The network confirmed that it would have a one-hour pregame show before every game of the series, anchored by Kevin Burkhardt alongside Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Alex Rodriguez.
The broadcast included features from Tom Rinaldi, profiles of players such as Junior Caminero, and a tribute to Brewers legend Bob Uecker. But it’s not hard to understand why the opening ceremony was so elaborate.
The 2026 World Series Game 1 marked the 122nd edition of the Fall Classic, and both franchises were pursuing their first World Series championship. The Brewers were appearing in the World Series for the first time since 1982.
However, the lengthy pregame production doesn’t seem to sit well with JJ Watt.
Watt’s comments came after the NFL legend recently signed a multi-year deal with CBS. Following the departure of Tony Romo, the network promoted Watt as its lead analyst for the 2026 season. And this week, CBS just secured Watt as its permanent lead analyst alongside veteran Jim Nantz for many more years to come.
“It’s an incredible honor, and it’s humbling,” Watt said after signing a deal. “There’s only five seats that get to do this, and for me to be able to represent CBS for David Berson and everybody involved to have the trust in me to be that person in that seat to represent this great company and all of the hundreds of thousands of people that work for this company and that put on such a great product every single week.
“It is a true honor and a privilege, and I do not take that responsibility lightly at all. I appreciate their trust in me, and I have an absolute blast doing it every single week, and I cannot wait to continue to do it.”
That said, while the World Series has begun this week, JJ Watt continues to cover the 2026 NFL season and will now also cover the Super Bowl for CBS in 2028.