Brian Baldinger spent over a decade as an NFL players before carving out a successful broadcasting career.
It is in the last few years, however, that he has carved out the niche which could well prove to be his lasting legacy.
‘Baldy’s Breakdowns’ have attracted something of a cult following on social media in NFL circles as the 62-year-old takes a deep-dive into the finer details of American Football.
“I’m about four years into it,” Baldinger explains to Mirror Sport. “For the last 25 years I’ve been announcing games and when I’m not announcing games, I’m watching football on TV all the time.
“I just felt like, when you cover a game, you have so little time to really explain the game. You might talk about how a play worked or didn’t work, but you have about 10-12 seconds, basically, to say something and it just wasn’t enough time.
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“The game moves really fast, there’s a lot of moving parts and it’s difficult for anybody - even me, who has been doing it for 25 years - to see what has happened on a play.
“I felt like when I slowed it down I could really explain and breakdown what had happened in a way you don’t have time to do on TV.”
Baldinger watches with an open mind, waiting to see which moments jump out as worthy of a closer look to give fans a greater insight into what has unfolded.
“It could be anything,” he says. “It could just be the Patriots against the Bills, running the football, how simple they made it but they were really good at it.
“It could be about somebodies effort, it could be about a technique, or it could just be something funny - like Josh Allen last week getting chased all the way to the sideline and ending up sitting on the bench at the end of the play.
“I feel like the game is entertaining, it’s difficult to understand - why not go back and slow it down to really teach it and show it?”
After starting to convey his passion for football to his social media following, Baldinger became shocked by the responses of NFL players.
“I started doing it, posting it and what I found really interesting was the players liked it," he explains.
“The NFL players really got into it. If I was talking about Matt Judon, for example, he was watching it, commenting and RT’ing it.
“I knew that once the players were watching it, the fans would be watching it. The fans just want to learn football. It’s a very complicated game, very misunderstood in a lot of ways, but they just want to learn what’s happening.
“What I found interesting to me was the way the players embraced it, coaches, even some owners.
“Everybody wants to think that they know the game, until they learn something new about the game and then that’s exciting for them. There’s always something new to learn in football.”
Baldinger’s cult following is global, with fans in the UK and across Europe tuning in to get a unique look at the sport and further their knowledge.
Over the festive period, Baldinger is set to be part of Sky Sports’ coverage of the NFL as the season builds towards the play-offs.
Baldinger is at home in Europe having cut his broadcasting teeth with Fox during their coverage of the now-defunct NFL Europe in the late 90s.
Since then, he has kept a keen interest on the growth of the game and is now playing his part in educating a passionate fanbase.
He says: “I did NFL Europe games in England, Germany, Holland, Spain and all the different places, so I got a chance to see it at a grassroots level.
“I taught a lot of clinics, saw the interest. Soccer is soccer, nobody is going to knock that off its perch, but a lot of people are interested in American Football.
“What I’ve seen, especially since I first went over in 1997, is how educated the fans are. You can’t just throw cliches at them, they watch the shows, study the stats and play their fantasy football - they know that stuff and a lot more, too.
“The hardcore fans are very knowledgable and I never feel like I should ever talk down to them. In fact, I feel like I have to lift them up to try and educate them even more.
“The more you give them, the more they seem to enjoy it.”
Fortunately for British fans, Baldinger will be on hand to give more insight on their TV screens over the coming weeks.
He’s also teamed up with Mirror Sport for an exclusive breakdown on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray ahead of their Monday Night Football clash with the Los Angeles Rams.
Watch Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals against the Los Angeles Rams, live on Sky Sports NFL this Monday Night Football at 1.15am, December 14.
