The main directive at FOX Sports, handed down from top-level executives within the FOX family, is simple: think big – as recently exemplified by the network’s blockbuster decision to add the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, as its lead NFL analyst.
So, when the FOX Sports Digital team brainstormed potential correspondents to lead their coverage of the biggest sporting event on earth, Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Michael Bucklin, SVP, Digital Content, challenged his team: “Who is the most viral talent this year?”
FOX Sports’ expansive online coverage of the Super Bowl was to be supported by an elite roster of experts, analysts and reporters to provide fans the ultimate all-access experience across digital platforms, including the FOX Sports app, FOXSports.com and @NFLonFOX social. The correspondent needed to stick out from an already star-studded group.
Nick Rago, Executive Director of Digital and Social Production, had the answer: Jameis Winston.
From pre-game speeches to press conferences, crab leg ads to snow angels, no player breaks the internet quite like Winston. He brings instant credibility as a former Heisman Trophy winner who was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015 and just completed his 10th NFL season in 2024 as quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. Included in those 10 seasons was a four-year stint in New Orleans with the Saints – so he was already familiar with the host city’s atmosphere.
With Winston, FOX Sports Digital had every angle covered for the Big Game in the Big Easy.
Once Jameis Winston was identified and officially locked in as FOX Sports Digital Correspondent for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, the next question for the network was: How do you unlock his personality and capture his energy on camera?
After studying countless Jameis Winston clips, FOX Sports’ Digital team realized he’s at his best when reacting to questions. But as a correspondent, he also had to be the one to start the conversation. So, when ideating around questions for the opening night of Super Bowl week, Winston, came up with the perfect icebreaker: asking players their favorite color. Naturally, Jameis Winston delivered it in a way only Jameis Winston could. The result? Instant viral magic during night one of the NFL’s opening night festivities.
From that night on – Winston was everywhere during the week: eating beignets at Café du Monde in the shape of a “W”; trying to board Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s yacht; tossing crab legs off a float to playing cowbell at a jazz club; substitute PE teacher.
FOX Sports handed Winston the digital keys and let him take the world on a one-of-a-kind tour of the French Quarter – and it worked. The streets were abuzz with Winston’s exploits.
For the Big Game, FOX Sports wanted to capture Winston as a fan in a natural setting – and paired him with popular comedian Bert Kreischer to ensure authentic reactions were captured throughout Super Bowl Sunday.
The peak of the experience came in the third quarter of Super Bowl LIX, when FOX Sports’ decision to have Winston cover the game paid off in epic fashion after a touchdown by Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown.
When Winston began his week as a correspondent, one of his tasks was to convince one of the players in Super Bowl LIX to use his celebration suggestion if they scored on Sunday.
"I know at family reunions, we talk about a Cha Cha Slide," Winston told Brown at Opening Night. "Well, I want you to sliiiiide to the left, sliiiiide to the right, criss-cross and eat a W."
When Brown caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to put Philly up 24-0 in the second quarter, he hit LeBron James' silencer move before doing the Cha Cha Slide.
A full-circle moment that cemented Winston as the week’s most viral sensation – just like FOX Sports Digital planned.
Jameis Winston was viral the moment he touched down in New Orleans, but when it was all said and done, the NFL quarterback-turned-FOX Sports Digital Correspondent amassed over 128 million views himself across FOX Sports digital properties during the Super Bowl LIX week.
During Super Bowl week in New Orleans, on night one alone, FOX Sports’ social accounts racked up 40 million views on Winston’s content - setting a record for the most views ever achieved around an original production.
The numbers didn’t slow down after that first night, either. Every video was another viral unlock, each one racing into the millions of views.
Backed by an award-winning team of producers, content creators, and digital masterminds at FOX Sports, Winston brought his signature energy to the Big Easy. The Jameis Winston content rocket ship was already soaring, but Super Bowl week launched him into an entirely new universe.
For the week, Winston helped the network generate over 793 million digital views around Super Bowl LIX, the most-viewed week in FOX Sports Digital history.
The support Winston and the Digital team provided helped FOX Sports secure the must-watched Super Bowl on television ever with 127.7 million viewers tuning in across all networks.
