Big Noon Kickoff Shines with DJ Khaled and Fat Joe in Orlando
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 07: Fat Joe and DJ Khaled attend SHOP.COM & Haute Living's celebration of the release of "Family Ties", Fat Joe's newest & last album at the Ridinger Estate on December 07, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Haute Living)
Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff managed to steal the spotlight in the ongoing fight for Saturday morning college football pregame supremacy. Nick Saban and Pat McAfee were on ESPN’s College GameDay lineup in Tuscaloosa for the marquee matchup between Georgia and Alabama.
Big Noon brought something different — global music superstar DJ Khaled, along with rap legend Fat Joe, performed live in Orlando.
The game was a low-ranked one between Deion Sanders’ Colorado team and UCF, a different environment than the intense Top 5 clash on GameDay. Fox’s greatest asset was a live performance from DJ Khaled, a native of Orlando, which added energy and unpredictableness to the broadcast. Khaled, who is known for his flamboyant personality, took the stage for a set that had the Orlando crowd buzzing long before the start.
DJ Khaled and Fat Joe accompanied the Big Noon crew for a short but unforgettable segment after the performance. Khaled’s love for the music industry, Coach Prime’s admiration, and his ability to hype up the crowd were all discussed by them. The segment concluded with DJ Khaled’s attempt at crowd surfing, which would have made College GameDay’s Pat McAfee proud.
The outcome was both amusing and iconic. Khaled took a leap into the Orlando crowd, executing a vertical jump that could only be compared to golf legend Phil Mickelson’s infamous ‘leap’ at The Masters. Khaled’s heart was definitely in it, but the actual crowd surfing only lasted a few seconds. The rap mogul was quickly pulled back to safety by his personal security team, who acted with the speed of the Secret Service. Khaled was helped by Big Noon hosts Rob Stone and Mark Ingram, who stood by and helped him navigate what could be Khaled’s shortest and most engaging crowd surfing attempt in college football pregame history.
Despite College GameDay’s star power of Saban and McAfee in one of the sport’s biggest games, Big Noon Kickoff provided a unique, spontaneous experience that caused a commotion on the internet. DJ Khaled’s crowd surfing was both unexpected and brief, and his energetic appearance with Fat Joe showed that Big Noon is prepared to innovate when it comes to grabbing viewer attention.
Fox’s Big Noon is still finding innovative ways to compete in a college football landscape where GameDay is often viewed as the gold standard. The viral success of Big Noon Kickoff was due to DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, and the power of unpredictable moments.
