RTL expert Markus Kuhn reveals secret help from TV legend

Interview

Ex-NFL professional and RTL expert Markus Kuhn talks about the sporting value of the NFL game in Munich and why Sunday afternoon will be particularly emotional for him.

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watson: Markus, the New York Giants with two wins and seven defeats will meet the Carolina Panthers with two wins and seven defeats in Munich on Sunday. Is this how you advertise the NFL?

Markus Kuhn: You can’t see the worst team in the Bundesliga playing against the second-to-last team in the table. It’s total nonsense to say we’re having a bad game because there are still top athletes coming to Germany. Two high-class teams are competing against each other and things are simply not going well at the moment.

Fans were quick to ask what Germany had done to the NFL to preserve this pairing.

The game wasn’t decided last week, but at the beginning of the year. Every team starts the season thinking they can win the Super Bowl, and in theory they can.

So does the game still promise a spectacle?

Having a Super Bowl champion doesn’t mean you’ll automatically see a better football game. The NFL has a depth of talent unlike any other sport, meaning anyone can beat anyone.

You started your career with the Giants when football was still under the radar in Germany. Now they’re playing in your home country. Does it come full circle for you?

Definitely. This will be an emotional moment for me. I fought hard for years to get them interested in the German market. The Giants are the reason for my career and why I still live in America to this day. The fact that they are now playing in Germany is actually almost absurd.

Markus Kuhn played in the NFL for the New York Giants. Image: imago sportfotodienst / ZUMA Wire

You will accompany the game for RTL together with Sebastian Vollmer on the sidelines. During your active career in the NFL, did you think about what would happen afterwards?

Yes, I have that.

Markus Kuhn is in front of the camera for RTL as an expert and reporter for NFL broadcasts. Bild: imago images / Lucas Boland

To what extent?

Young athletes often don’t want to hear this, but it’s drilled into them early on that they should think about the time after their career. It’s the best way to build relationships and set things up for the future.

During your time in the NFL, was it conceivable for you to be in front of the camera as a TV expert at some point?

To be honest: no.

You are also an ambassador for the New York Giants and work for their presence in the German market.

Exactly. For me, working at RTL is a nice way to continue reporting on sport and providing background information. Few Germans have played in the NFL so far, and no German has worked in the front office of an NFL team. Basically, I try to promote the international development of American football and to pass on the fun that football has brought into my life through broadcasts.

What did you think about TV pundits during your playing days?

I have a close circle of people around me whose opinions I value and whose criticism I listen to.

For example?

If my wife, my parents or my sister tell me something, I accept it. When it comes to criticism from outside, I can only advise young athletes: you are never as good as other people say, but you are never as bad either.

And what about your career as a TV expert?

I was pleased that RTL provided me with Florian König, an absolute television expert, at my side last year, who is available to all of us as a contact person for feedback, among other things.

You were confronted with working in front of the camera early on in the USA.

That’s correct. In US sports you have to be much more open to the media, starting in college and continuing through the NFL. It’s a different experience speaking and being present in front of the camera. That doesn’t make me a professional commentator, but rather an ex-player with a love of sport. And by working with Florian König I can also improve in my second career.

Florian König has been the man for live sports reporting at RTL since 1994.Bild: imago images / Malte Ossowski

How do you work on your TV presence?

He told me: Make a game plan and write down what you want to say. It’s one thing to commentate on a game for four hours, but I also have to do 40 or 60 second commentary. That’s really hard for me sometimes. But it’s all practice, routine and the right plan. Florian gave me a cheat sheet.

How often do you exchange ideas?

We once had a longer session in person. Otherwise, we have feedback discussions with those responsible for the project after each transfer. It’s not just about me personally, RTL wants to provide football fans with great reporting. None of us have such a big ego that we think we know everything.

The “Sports Illustrated“You said you wanted to take football on RTL to the next level. When will that be achieved?

When you stop growing, you become smaller. We should never think: Now we had two million viewers on Sunday and we did it. You have to keep entertaining people, and there will be ups and downs. I tend to ask myself what the next step is to get better.

The internationalization of the NFL is not only taking place in Germany, but this year games have already been played in London and São Paulo. Up to eight international games are scheduled to take place in 2025. At what point does it become too much?

We live in a globalized world and most people are pro internationalization. Especially in sport, there is nothing better than connecting people. Ultimately, the home of the NFL will always remain in America, but I think it’s great to bring the NFL experience to other people.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has now no longer ruled out the possibility of a Super Bowl abroad.

I was pleasantly surprised by this statement. I discussed the idea two years ago in Munich. Roger Goodell told me there that he couldn’t imagine that because it was an incredibly important economic element for the smaller markets in the USA. Ultimately, I can still see it happening and there is no lack of creativity from the commissioner, the teams and the billionaires in the background.