Exclusive: Kay Adams realizing her 'dream' as Netflix's NFL Christmas host

12/25/2024 11:00 AM

If one thing is for sure, Kay Adams loves football. She is gearing up for a day full of football as she will host the NFL’s Christmas Gameday broadcasts on Netflix.

Adams spoke to ClutchPoints about the wonderful opportunity. The NBA was previously known for its Christmas Day broadcasts, but as a “sports girly,” Adams is thrilled with the NFL’s latest move.

“I think it’s beautiful — I love a new tradition,” Adams said of the NFL’s Christmas broadcasts. “I’m honored to be a part of it. Netflix is so ambitious, and they’re really pulling out all the stops.”

Having Mariah Carey and Beyoncé is an added bonus. The cherry on top? A Netflix broadcast means a worldwide audience, something  Adams is very aware of.

Her family is in Chicago, though she also has family in Poland and Kansas City (the Chiefs are playing in one of the games). These broadcasts may open the door for new fans of the Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens, and Texans. “It’ll be a really beautiful day to connect [and] expand the game,” she explained. “The NFL has been doing [that] brilliantly for years.”

Kay Adams’ Christmas plans

Being on the road means a different kind of Christmas. While she hasn’t caught Netflix’s Christmas movies like Hot Frosty or the Lindsay Lohan-led Our Little Secret, Adams has been catching up with Enigma, a docuseries about Aaron Rodgers.

In fact, she hasn’t had time to catch up on holiday viewing. “I’m so focused on this incredible Christmas opportunity with Netflix and the NFL planting their Christmas tree on this amazing day,” said Adams.

However, after the day is done, she will be hoping on a long flight to “somewhere very far away.” She did say she would catch up on the aforementioned Christmas movies (hopefully, we get reviews afterward).

As for music, Adams isn’t listening to the usual suspects like Carey and Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” this year. “I’ve become the lady that listens to Christmas jazz,” revealed Adams, who specifically name-dropped Samara Joy as an artist she’s currently loving.

Amidst all of the craziness, Adams hasn’t even gotten to her Christmas shopping, she revealed with a laugh. During the broadcasts, she won’t be around family. At least she will have her “new family,” consisting of the other hosts of the Netflix broadcasts.

“The fact that I get to share my holiday with my new family, like Min Kimes, RGIII [Robert Griffin III], Greg Olsen, [and] the McCourty twins, it’s going to be like a holiday party,” she reasoned.

She also will reunite with her former Good Morning Football co-host Nate Burleson. Adams called him “an old family member that I know well.”

How to survive the Christmas Day NFL broadcasts

It will be a long day for Adams, who will be relying on “sports coffee” during the Netflix broadcasts. For those wondering, sports coffee is a canned coffee that Adams is “obsessed” with.

She starts every day with a cup of it. So, for those wanting to reach her status as a broadcaster, that may be the juice.

At the same time, Adams is aware of the massive stage that Netflix is providing her and the NFL alike. She called the gig her “dream,” and her excitement will get her through the long day.

“I probably will have trouble sleeping the next two nights, like a five-year-old waiting for their gifts under the Christmas tree, [but] I love football. I love being part of a live broadcast, [and] I love being part of something new and making history,” Adams said. “Netflix is doing that in so many ways on Christmas Day; it will be hard to contain my excitement come Wednesday morning.”

The key to Kay Adams’ success

From hosting Good Morning Football to interviewing the top NFL stars for FanDuel, Kay Adams is one of the best sports broadcasters in the world.

Aside from sports coffee, Adams’ “curiosity” has carried her far. She seeks to tell the most engaging story possible. For example, Patrick Mahomes’ “legacy” as he and the Chiefs seek to accomplish a three-peat is the one she is monitoring closest this year.

Sports journalism, like any form of the field, can be tough. Players are generally cagey and diplomatic with the media. But Adams has always found a way to dig deeper.

Curiosity is still key, but Adams also cited her “thoughtfulness” as another. Her gig hosting Up & Adams gives her more freedom without the limitations of a four-minute press junket slot.

“I would say the most important thing [when] interviewing somebody is just listening,” Adams revealed. “It’s sometimes not easy to do because you have a job to do. But it’s really nice [on] the show that I do, Up & Adams, [that] it’s up to me to get what I want out of them or let the interview go where it should go.”

If you listen to the interviewee, “You really can’t go wrong.” From there, I had to make sure to pay extra attention to what she was saying.

Which NFL Christmas game is she more excited for?

The NFL is presenting fans with two games on Christmas Day. The Kansas City Chiefs visit the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans square off.

For Adams, the storylines matter — the Chiefs and their quest for the three-peat is important to Adams. But at the same time, the game of the week for Adams in Week 16  was the Caroline Panthers vs. the Arizona Cardinals. While neither team is in playoff contention, the game was entertaining.

“Those storylines aren’t huge, and those aren’t two playoff teams, [but] that’s why I love football,” Adams said.

That is why, despite not giving a straight pick, it sounds like Adams is more excited for Chiefs-Steelers. Mahomes’ recovery from his injury and regaining weapons like “Hollywood” Marquise Brown.

Speaking of the Chiefs, if they accomplish the tree-peat, they would be the first NFL team to do so. The only other dynasties that felt similarly dominant, to me, were the Golden State Warriors with Kevin Durant (an unintentional reference to Durant) and the Miami Heat with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.

It circles back to the New England Patriots with Tom Brady for Adams, who spent her early career covering them. As she notes, even Brady didn’t accomplish a three-peat in his career. If Mahomes does it, a new GOAT conversation may open.

Either way, Christmas Day is the next step for all of the teams playing (including the Chiefs) and their Super Bowl hopes. Kay Adams, along with millions of others, will be watching.

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