The “NFL RedZone” program has become appointment viewing for swathes of fans thanks to the “seven hours of commercial-free football” that host Scott Hanson promises viewers every Sunday.
Well, fans who tuned into “RedZone” on Sunday certainly got their seven hours of football action — but also got quite a bit more than they expected.
As a quick refresher for anyone not familiar with how “RedZone” operates: Hanson narrates while sitting in a studio throughout Sunday’s slate of NFL games and brings viewers into real-time big moments for every game.
The idea is to keep football fans engaged with constant on-field action, as opposed to subjecting them to the starts and stops that typically accompany a standalone NFL game (due to timeouts, commercials, changes of possession, etc.)
For the most part, the program works as intended, as it is one of the most popular ways of watching the pro football. In fact, a 2017 article on NFL.com noted that even British fans loved watching “RedZone.”
In that 6-year-old article, Hanson said he likened his role as “RedZone” host to that of being a surfer. And as a surfer needs some big waves to make things happen, he said his “waves” were terrific games.
“When you’re a skillful surfer, and you see that wave, there’s no time to hit pause,” Hanson said. “You get on that board, position your toes, and you ride it. When it all comes together, it’s a beautiful thing for a surfer.”
He added: “I’m just riding that wave with the audience.”
Six years later, Hanson’s surf analogy holds as true as it ever did — if not a bit more so after what happened Sunday.
This “wave” wasn’t just a spate of on-field drama. It involved a blaring alarm that prompted a studio evacuation.
As “RedZone” was showing highlights from a rainy Buffalo Bills-Philadelphia Eagles afternoon game, Hanson broke in with an announcement.
“Well ladies and gentlemen, this is a first in my 20-something-year broadcasting career,” Hanson began. “We have an alarm going off in the studios of ‘NFL RedZone’ right now, in our studios here in Inglewood, California.
“We are being told we need to evacuate the building. We do not know the nature of the emergency.”
As Hanson spoke and described the situation as “absolutely unprecedented from us,” you could clearly hear the alarm going off in the background.
But perhaps even more notable than the situation itself was Hanson’s nonchalant response to it.
He swiftly returned to the studio and continued his duties as an evacuation order and siren were blaring.
“As we come back into the studio right now, I am reminded of an old Chinese proverb, which says: ‘May you live to see interesting times,'” the host said.
“I’ve never had this happen before,” Hanson said as he tried to continue his normal routine. “I’m pretty sure all of our professionals haven’t either. But we soldier on with the top five plays of the day on ‘NFL RedZone.'”
“Well, that was…. interesting,” he said in a subsequent social media post. “Alarm has stopped. Apparently all clear. Still waiting on details.”
Hanson’s decision to host the show despite the alarms prompted a slew of social media jokes.
The “RedZone” host reposted and directly responded to one joke being bandied about comparing Hanson to the violinist on the sinking “Titanic.”
“Women and children and Touchdowns first…,” he said.
A league representative said the commotion was caused by a false alarm, The Athletic reported Monday.
“Thankfully there was no fire,” the representative said. “No business functions, including NFL RedZone, were interrupted.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.