FOX Sports provided first responders battling the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles with televisions to watch the NFL playoffs during breaks in their shifts.
FOX Sports NFL reporter Jay Glazer, who was at the Palisades Incident Command Center in Malibu, explained to FOX News how the partnership came about before the Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions playoff game on FOX.
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Firefighters watch as a helicopter sprays water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday, January 11, 2025 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Firefighters work in the area of the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“Actually, my wife and I live about 200 yards away. We were evacuated. But this week, like many others who came from California, we lost morale. Two nights ago, some of the firefighters said, “You know what we really want? “We really want to watch soccer,” one said. I said, I know someone who can make it happen,” he said.
“I called my boss at FOX Sports, CEO Eric Shanks, and he said, “What a great idea!'' And he got it right, and yesterday we came here and started working. We did this in a day, so we put a TV in the area where they go back to their shifts, and there are a lot of them. They come back and have a place to relax and eat. It's TV.
“We're not just going to be showing the game on FOX, we're going to be showing every game this weekend. This is just to say thank you to the many people who, as you know, left their homes to save lives. 'It's ours.' ”
Former Brewers star Ryan Braun praises firefighters battling Los Angeles wildfires as 'true heroes'
The devastation of the Palisades Fire is seen at sunset on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
He said on FOX Sports' NFL pregame show that Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and Lions head coach Dan Campbell FaceTimed firefighters before the playoff game on FOX. .
Glaser said the coaches are “obsessed with our hero.”
“We can step in and give them some normalcy and boost their morale. That's what they need,” he added. “What we're hearing from them is, for the first few days of 48 hours straight, what they've seen, anything we can do, just to say we love you and thank you, we That's right.'' “
The Palisades Fire ravages neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, amid high winds. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
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More than 20 people have died and thousands of buildings have been destroyed in the midst of fires plaguing the region.
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