Khakis are becoming a staple of NBC’s “Football Night in America.”
Steve Kornacki, the NBC News and MSNBC political correspondent who became a viral sensation last month for his non-stop voting map breakdowns of the presidential election — while dressed in his signature khakis — is bringing his numbers and big-board talent to the NFL’s playoff race.
Kornacki made a cameo last Sunday on NBC’s pregame show for Sunday Night Football, but the network announced this week he will be a presence on the show for the rest of the season.
“For me, [Sunday] was one of those pinch-yourself moments,” Kornacki told USA Today Sports.
The 41-year-old Kornacki, who grew up in Massachusetts as a Patriots fan, got a call from his boss after the election saying NBC Sports was interested in using him as part of their NFL coverage, according to USA Today.
“I was like, ‘Uh, yeah, absolutely,’” Kornacki told the newspaper. “I was really excited to get that call.”
Before the Chiefs and Broncos kicked off Sunday night, Kornacki was back in a familiar spot — in front of the big board breaking down numbers, only they were playoff probabilities for football teams instead of voting percentages for presidential candidates.
There are now four more weeks for Kornacki to break down the NFL’s crowded playoff chase.
“I can look at the Raiders and the Colts, and say ‘if the Raiders win their numbers go up, but what if Baltimore’s winning? What if Miami’s winning?’ Then they actually take a hit,” Kornacki said. “There’s a real complexity in how these games are linked to each other probability-wise that I’m still trying to get a handle on.”
As for if there will be a reprisal of the Kornacki Cam?
“They just got to make sure they tell me when that thing turns on,” he said, “because sometimes that catches me off guard.”