NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
NFL fans who are used to seeing Scott Hanson on “NFL RedZone” on Sundays in the fall were able to see him in a different setting over the winter.
Hanson, 54, was part of NBC Sports’ “Gold Zone” during the Milan Cortina Olympics in February. The whipped show, inspired by “NFL RedZone,” covered every event of the Olympics and gave viewers a glimpse of as many different events as possible.
Hanson told PK Press Club Digital that hosting “Gold Zone” and “NFL RedZone” required different skill sets.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Host Scott Hanson speaks on stage during the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 30, 2022. (David Becker/Getty Images)
“It’s fascinating because it’s the red zone for the Olympics, and yet there’s a really different dynamic, because when I do RedZone, and I say, ‘Eagles-Giants, Philadelphia, down by four, no timeouts remaining, first and goal from five. Let’s see if Jalen Hurts and Company can make it happen.’ Boom, I’m done,” Hanson said in a recent interview with Lowe’s.
“I don’t say, ‘Eagles-Giants, first and goal, now there’s 11 men here, and there’s 11 men here, and they’re trying to move this piece of leather across the goal line. I don’t have to do that.’
Hanson said that for the Olympics, he had to explain much more to the viewer than just the game.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
NFL Network host Scott Hanson presents on stage during day three of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri on April 29, 2023. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
“When I go curling at the Winter Olympics on Gold Zone, I have to explain, ‘Okay, there’s the stone, there’s the house, there’s the button, here’s the scoring system, here’s how long it lasts, everything,'” Hanson said.
“We have to explain the rules and the fundamentals of the sport as well as telling the personal stories of the athletes competing and the broader context in terms of what a gold medal would mean or what a loss would mean, those kinds of things. So it’s quite a challenge, but it’s fun.”
Hanson said audiences told him it was the most fun way to watch the Olympics because they knew “Gold Zone” would cover everything that was happening.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
NFL Network’s Scott Hanson speaks on stage during day three of the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin on April 26, 2025. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
The Milan-Cortina Olympics was Hanson’s second time being part of the “Gold Zone”, as he was part of the coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics, but it was his first Winter Olympics. Hanson said he is already signed up to be part of the “Gold Zone” for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“For those who enjoyed Gold Zone, I have already signed up to attend the Los Angeles games in 2028,” Hanson said. “So the Summer Games in the United States are going to be epic, in a few years.”
