Aaron Stojkov will be in the lead producer chair for the first time at an MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night, but the grizzled veteran of Fox Sports isn’t sweating the big moment.
“I’ve been part of this crew for as long as Fox has had baseball,” he told SBJ. “[I’m] anxious in a good way, because I feel like it’s fun. It’s a fun game. Love baseball. It’s summer. America 250. Let’s do it.”
Stojkov will once again be leaning into the America 250 theme for this game, something he’s already done by producing the Fox July 4 MLB game and the Congressional Baseball Game on FS1 last month. “Being here in Philadelphia, there are so many great images with the history, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and all that,” he said. “We’ll lean into spoken-word things and imagery in that regard and musical performances. And then just during the game, we’ll touch on it occasionally with visuals and things we’ve built with players like bumpers.”
While some would view having 26 first-time All-Stars as a challenge, Stojkov sees opportunity. He pointed out the storylines around players like Tigers SS Kevin McGonigle, who hails from the Philadelphia area. “Imagery of him as a young man from Delaware County, just south of Philly,” noted Stojkov. “He’s Philly through and through. We’ll potentially have some access with him during the game.”
Viewers on Tuesday night can also expect Fox to bring the bells and whistles. That includes the introduction of ARRI digital cinema cameras for action on the field and the return of MindFly BodyCams on the umpire crew (part of 55 cameras for the game in total). Beverly Hills Aerials will pilot a pair of high-speed drones and a FlyCam. Helicopters Inc. is providing a helicopter for aerial views. Fox also will deploy 40 field-effect microphones and 10 player mics.
Fox should expect a bigger audience for the All-Star Game, as the postgame show for France-Spain in the FIFA World Cup semifinal will go right into the All-Star pregame show (or if Fox is lucky, the pregame show will come right after penalty kicks). Viewers tuning into the World Cup postgame show should also expect a talk-back from the pregame squad in Philly at the All-Star Game.
