Breakdowns

12/10/21

3 min read

The Friday Five: Peter Schrager

Peter Schrager

Peter Schrager is a sports reporter and broadcaster for NFL Network's Good Morning Football and Fox Sports' NFL on Fox. He is a two-time published author who co-authored New York Times Best Seller, Out of the Blue with Victor Cruz in 2012 and Strength of a Champion with O.J. Brigance in 2013.

We caught up with Peter for this week’s Friday Five…

1) Who is your biggest mentor?

My biggest mentor has actually changed over time and over the course of my career. It's amazing how that works. When I was first coming up, it was more on the writing side and it was gentlemen like Tom Seeley (FoxSports.com), Rick Jaffe (FoxSports.com), Devin Gordon (GQ), and Eric Gillin (Esquire) who went out of their way to help groom my writing style, perspective, and journalistic chops. As I've made the switch to television, it's a core group at Fox like Eric Shanks, Jacob Ullman, Bill Richards, and John Entz who've given me both the opportunities and the straight critiques to get better. Michael Davies at Embassy Row is the world's most interesting person, and I look and lean on him when it comes to doing things differently. I also look at the way people like Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, Jim Nantz, Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Erin Andrews and others I've long respected work and treat people. I learn more about how to be a professional from the stuff that isn't on camera or in the written word from the folks I have long admired.

2) What has been the biggest surprise of the NFL this season thus far?

I love the way the Dolphins have responded. They're the type of team I can rally around. 1-7, trade rumors galore, everyone writing them off and they looked to each other and said, "Screw it...No one believes in us...Let's just go and do this thing." They may fall short of the playoffs, but I have learned a lot about that group of players and that coaching staff. Very cool that they're in the mix in mid-December after us all collectively writing them off a few months back.

3) Which is your favorite part about covering football?

Getting up every morning. Sounds corny, right? Cliché? It's not. I host the NFL Network's morning show and it's exactly what I've always wanted to do. I have loved this sport of football my entire life. I think you can tell in my passion for the game on air and in the written word. I love the game and the strategy and all that, but I also love the people and the stories. Lastly, I love what it stands for. Teamwork, people of all backgrounds coming together for a common goal, and the ability to work as one to achieve something.

4) What piece of advice would you give your younger self?

Create. Create. Create. I would tell my younger self to not worry so much about who's getting jobs over you or what the bosses might be looking for. I'd encourage myself to use things like You Tube, Twitter, etc--and just create content. The more the better. I tell any young person in this industry now--what makes you unique from the 1000 other voices in this space? Okay, now show me proof. No one is stopping you from creating content.

5) If you could invite any three people in history to dinner, who would they be and why?

I'd want to laugh. Life's too short not too. Give me Adam Sandler, Paul Rudd, and Will Ferrell. And a few bottles of good tequila.


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