Erin Andrews, Charissa Thompson, and more in Las Vegas

There are two kinds of people who do what I do for a living, and they’re usually polar opposites. Some of us are excited as can be about attending press events and junkets. Others are cynical as hell. That’s not to say it’s not cool to see new hardware being announced — it is. And it’s fun being in the room with the folks from the companies who make it happen. Sometimes those people are celebrities in their own right. I remember Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer at the first keynote I attended at CES. Later, I was just feet from Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook HQ. (Sadly, I never got to see Steve Jobs in person.)

It’s also not uncommon for companies to hire celebrities simply because they’re celebrities. That can go south pretty fast if the person isn’t a good actor, or doesn’t really care at all about anything more than getting a paycheck for the appearance. (Yes, we can tell.)

I’ve seen big names in the sports world plenty of times. It wasn’t uncommon for Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks to make an appearance at my high school. (Because it was also his high school years earlier.) Same for boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. (I’ve also sat next to him on a plane home on more than one occasion.)

CES always seemed like a somewhat strange place for that sort of celebrity. Sports and tech? Why not, I suppose. But the late Bill Walton was a common appearance at most of the dozen CES events I’ve been to — the late NBA Hall of Famer was always easy to spot, being taller than most of the tens of thousands of people at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In more recent years we’ve seen tech companies team up with the leagues themselves for major sponsorships. That’s what brought television manufacturer TCL and the NFL together.

The 2023 TCL press event was a little more low-key. (Insofar as any of those events can be considered low-key.) Erin Andrews hosted, weaving together the various parts of the keynote. Phones. TVs. Tablets. And way too much AI.

The 2024 TCL presser was much more involved. Charissa Thompson hosted this one, flanked by Charles Woodson and Dan Orlovsky, on a set that looked like what you’re used to on any of the NFL pre-game shows. While it’s maybe a little forced, it definitely was more interesting than a single host on stage. And it was triple the star power, too. Not a bad way to start the week at CES.

And it was just a taste of what was to come that year.