Drew Brees, the legendary quarterback who terrorized defenses throughout his 15-year tenure with the New Orleans Saints, will return to Caesars Superdome in a new capacity this Sunday. Not on the field, but in the broadcast booth. However, fans in northwest Louisiana will miss the historic moment.

A tweet by John Sigler of the Saints Wire highlighted how northwest Louisiana won’t have the game, as they will receive the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys game instead.

The Saints and Atlanta Falcons divisional matchup on Sunday, November 23rd, at 3:25 p.m. CT will air on FOX with broadcasting legends in place. Adam Amin will handle play-by-play duties, while Brees will serve as the color commentator alongside sideline reporter Kristina Pink. For Brees, this represents his second FOX broadcast assignment.

The Shreveport-Texarkana television market, which encompasses approximately 375,000 television households according to Nielsen statistics, represents one of the most contested media regions in football. Located at the intersection of Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas, this market has become a battleground between the Saints and Dallas Cowboys for regional broadcasting dominance.

He made his broadcasting debut on November 16th during the New York Giants versus Green Bay Packers game. Shreveport has fallen upon hearing the announcement by Sigler.

Over the past decade, research reveals that when Saints and Cowboys games conflict, the Shreveport station KMSS 33 has favored the Cowboys broadcast in the vast majority of instances. In fact, in over 21 simultaneous NFL broadcasts involving both teams over the past ten years, the Cowboys received airtime four times while the Saints received it just once.

This issue previously arose during a 2018 Week 7 game against the Baltimore Ravens, which FOX most probably prioritized because Drew Brees was securing his milestone win that completed victories against all 32 NFL teams. When both the Saints and Cowboys games aired on FOX simultaneously, and the networks had the flexibility to choose coverage by market, Dallas received preferential treatment nine times compared to New Orleans, which got just seven broadcasts.

The irony is particularly hard-hitting given the significance of Brees’ return.

Drew Brees set for Saints vs. Falcons broadcast

For Saints fans outside the Shreveport market, Sunday’s broadcast offers something truly special: the opportunity to hear one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history analyze the team he built a Hall of Fame career with as they compete in an NFC South matchup against the struggling Atlanta Falcons.​

The Saints (2-8) are coming off their bye week and will start second-round rookie Tyler Shough at quarterback, looking to build on his impressive 17-7 week 10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons (3-7) arrive severely depleted, with starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. sidelined by a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve, forcing them to start Kirk Cousins. Wide receiver Drake London has already been ruled out with a PCL sprain.​

For the Shreveport market, however, the Eagles-Cowboys matchup takes precedence. A decision that will likely frustrate Saints loyalists who have endured years of similar coverage conflicts with the Dallas franchise.