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You might be surprised by how often the worlds of sports and true crime overlap. Lindsay Czarniak was initially, and now she’s about to show you these stories in her upcoming Investigation Discovery (ID) series.
The former SportsCenter anchor hosts Game Day Murders, a show that examines crimes with a sports connection. The six-episode series premieres Monday, July 27, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ID. The first episode revisits the murder of Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy and the scandal that rocked college basketball. The series also covers the cases of Sean Taylor, Lorenzen Wright, and Dernell Stenson.
Game Day Murders is executive produced by Shaquille O’Neal, but the person you’ll see the most is Czarniak. We recently caught up with her to talk about her new show.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Have you always been interested in true crime?
Lindsay Czarniak: “I’ve been interested in the genre. When I’m reading, I sometimes gravitate toward crime novels, that kind of stuff. But I had never done it, except for a couple of stories I covered just because they were in the world of sports. But yeah, I’ve been interested. I enjoy Dateline. My husband (Craig Melvin) does Dateline from time to time, so that’s also a fun connection. But yeah, I would say I’ve enjoyed it. But I had never taken part in it until now.”
How did this opportunity come about?
“The first time I worked with this group was on the documentary about Aaron Hernandez. I did that documentary, and they asked me to be part of it as a voice that was threading the needle, intersecting sports and true crime. I had covered Aaron Hernandez when I was hosting SportsCenter, so that was part of why that connection happened. And we did that.
“It was a fascinating process. I love the people. And out of that, they said, ‘We want to do a series that is more like this, with different sports and stories like these across different sports.’ And so I was really excited to have the opportunity to do this. I will tell you, in the beginning, I was like, ‘How are we going to find that many true-crime stories in sports?’ And they were like, ‘Trust us. They’re out there.’ So I was really blown away by that and by how many of these types of stories exist.”
What can you tell us about Shaq’s involvement?
“It was just awesome having him come on board and in the way that he has stayed involved. And when I say involved, I mean sending ideas at all hours. He’s the best. And he has a real appreciation and desire to not only do great storytelling, but he is a true-crime junkie. I did not realize the level to which he was, but also he just really believes in, as I said, storytelling, sports, justice. So, it’s been awesome to just have him as someone that I can sort of call a teammate.”
How would you describe your role in Game Day Murders?
“Yes, I’m a host, but I’m really a voice that’s getting you through it. So, it’s not in the traditional sense of me standing up and leading you into the episode. It’s more like I’m a constant that will help guide you through these episodes…
“It’s helping to paint that picture for the audience, because one thing I love about this is that maybe men want to pay attention to this, because more men seem to gravitate toward sports, but I think women obviously love sports, too. I think this is something that men and women can really watch together.”
Is there a particular episode that resonated with you?
“The one that definitely hit closest to home for me was Sean Taylor. Sean was killed when I was in Washington, D.C., working as a reporter. And so that was a story that I covered very closely along with a lot of other people. And so to go back… It was the first time I had covered sports that I sort of realized the impact of a locker room and the camaraderie. And watching that team grieve, as like a brotherhood, was just something that kind of changed me and definitely taught me a lot in terms of journalism.”
Do you break any news, or what do you offer that’s different?
“I think that when people watch this, one thing that is a fact is that there are people in multiple episodes who have never talked before and have agreed, for the first time, to open up about the person at the center of this. And so I think that is really, really powerful. I also experienced that with the Aaron Hernandez documentary that ID did. They found someone who was on the ground floor, basically, of the whole situation. I could not take my eyes off of it. So I think that is something that ID does, and that the producers we have are so skilled at not only finding the people who can really bring light to this story in a way it hasn’t happened before, but also really connecting with them.”
Given your husband Craig Melvin’s job, did you ask for any feedback?
“Oh, yeah. I mean, it’s just a random thing that now we have this as sort of a connection because of the work he does with Dateline and now this. So, yeah, the things that I talked about with him in the beginning were like the process, just because I found it fascinating the way that, honestly, the producers go about trying to, ‘OK, we want to talk to this person. Let’s see if they’re willing to discuss this.’ All of it sort of speaks to the core of journalism 101 and what you learn early on.”
How would you persuade someone to check out your show?
“I would say you don’t have to be a huge sports fan to really enjoy all of these episodes in this show, because it’s not just about sports. Sure, if you are a sports fan, you’re going to get what you wanted. You’re going to get more because you’re going to get insight from key players and people about what a certain sport and its culture are like. But if that’s not your bag, these stories are masterfully told by all the people, all the characters that are part of these episodes, and they really make it entertaining. You will have all the emotions, truly, because these are real things that happened. In a lot of cases, it is gruesome. It is hard to see, hard to fathom.”
What’s your reaction to the people who lost their jobs because of ESPN’s layoffs?
“It just makes me really sad because they are so good at what they do. And they have all put forth so much time and effort in what they do. I mean, there’s a reason they call it the Worldwide Leader. And when you get there, it is a great place to be. You have to work your butt off. And there are so many people who are doing their jobs and doing their jobs great. But my God, like Ravi, Karl Ravech was one of my favorite analysts and, obviously, the lead play-by-play for baseball—amazing guy. It makes me feel really sad because people that have been there for so long.”
As a former SportsCenter anchor, what do you think of Rich Eisen’s This Was SportsCenter podcast?
“I love hearing all of that. And I think it’s really relevant, just in terms of hearing what someone’s experience has been. So, I think it’s really fun and really cool. And I hope that, I think, that type of thing can live on and be really interesting in a lot of different ways, too. So, I think what Rich has done is really fun.”
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