NWSL on Prime play-by-play announcer Mike Watts alongside analyst Lori Lindsey. (Courtesy of Prime Video)
NWSL on Prime play-by-play announcer Mike Watts alongside analyst Lori Lindsey. (Courtesy of Prime Video)
Mike Watts has been busy this summer.
The play-by-play announcer juggles many roles, including working for Prime Video and calling games for both the NWSL and the WNBA. He was also at the FIFA World Cup in July and serves as the television voice for the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason broadcasts.
On Thursday, he’ll call the Prime Video WNBA game between the Golden State Valkyries and the New York Liberty in Brooklyn, New York. Then he’ll drive to New Jersey for Friday’s Prime Video broadcast of the NWSL matchup between the Portland Thorns and Gotham FC.
We recently caught up with Watts, who began calling NWSL games in 2014, to discuss the league, the WNBA, and his career.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
What’s the main storyline for this NWSL season?
Mike Watts: “The parity of the league is very much intact. I think there’s been a really solid influx of talent to the league with the expansion teams coming along. So being able to bring Lindsey Heaps home to Denver, and the individual talent that Gotham, Portland, and Washington, both U.S. and international, have brought to the league over the last few years, makes it a really competitive season. The NWSL is in a fantastic place, and I feel like every Friday night we’re going to get a great game and tell stories about some great stars. And as a broadcaster, that’s sort of a dream come true to feel that way every week.”
How has the league evolved since you started calling NWSL games?
“We had no national TV presence when I started. The games were largely on YouTube at the time. Some teams had impressive broadcast infrastructure, and most did not. So, in terms of the league’s reach, it’s night and day. The venues are drastically different from those in 2013, when the league started, or 2014, when I started with the league. We’ll be at Gotham this week. We were playing at Rutgers with one side of the stands my first year in the league, and we’ll be at Sports Illustrated Stadium, with 25,000 seats and a really good crowd. They’ll move to Etihad Park (in 2028) when it opens, move into the city for the first time, and get a different kind of buzz around the team. So, just looking at the general professionalism of broadcast, venues, and player treatment, it’s almost impossible to look at 2014 and 2026 and not see incredible growth.”
We’re so lucky to have @MikeWattsOnAir and @LoriLindsey6 100 times over 🥺💙 pic.twitter.com/8HAG3KUXyJ
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) August 8, 2026
What’s your experience been like working at Prime Video?
“The partnership between the league and Amazon has allowed us to push boundaries of our coverage, build trust with players, and be on site every week. This, along with the lifetime package a number of years ago, is the only package that has gone about it that way, creating that trust in person with players, coaches, and teams.
“The tools that Amazon gives us elevate everything about our coverage of the sport. And as someone who’s been around it as long as I have, I can’t appreciate that enough because it opens up so many avenues we had hoped for or thought about but never really had the capability to get to.”
How does Gotham FC look in its bid to repeat as champions?
“They look great. Defensively, they’ve been sturdy all season. I think on the attacking end, we’re starting to see a bit of evolution from them since the summer break. Even with the injuries they’ve dealt with, Gotham’s talent level is undeniable. And so the two championships they’ve won came as the bottom seed, having to do it all on the road. This is going to be different, with them potentially being the No. 1 seed and winning the NWSL Shield for the first time. So you’re going to be the team with the target on your back.”
Which team poses the biggest threat to Gotham FC?
“To me, it’s Washington. As they bring players back from the Women’s African Cup of Nations, they lost the most players on their roster to that tournament. I wouldn’t necessarily say any one player is at the level of Temwa Chaŵinga or Barbra Banda, who Kansas City and Orlando lost, respectively, in terms of being an individual MVP. But when you lose four or five players to one international tournament, that certainly takes some wind out of their sails. To me, Trinity Rodman is the MVP in the NWSL right now—the statistics back up what we’ve seen from her for a number of years. So, I could absolutely see Washington mounting some measure of a push on this at the end of the season. They need Gotham to lose first. They haven’t been able to make up ground.”
WE’RE BACK HOME FOR PRIDE 🌈 Come celebrate with us at @SI_Stadium THIS FRIDAY ✨
🎟️ https://t.co/nAWmLGDtuM pic.twitter.com/EeERLhn8fL
— Gotham FC (@GothamFC) August 24, 2026
How would you describe your experience at the World Cup?
“I was a world-feed commentator for FIFA’s host broadcast. Josh Eastern, another NWSL announcer, and I are the first two American play-by-play announcers FIFA has hired for that tournament. So, obviously, being part of a World Cup on U.S. soil is a lifelong ambition, a dream achieved. I was in Kansas City for the length of my time in the group stage. To see entire cultures descend on a city for a few days, grip that moment, and then watch the next group come in and have their moment to enjoy this global spectacle that I wasn’t old enough to be around for or remember, in the case of the ’99 Women’s World Cup or the Men’s World Cup that was here in ’94 was really a spectacular feeling as someone who supported the game in this country.”
What’s it been like calling WNBA games this season?
“It’s been great. The league’s been fantastic. I’ve enjoyed the chance to speak with players in the WNBA. I’ve watched from afar. I was a PA announcer for MSG in their final season at the Garden before they moved to [Barclays Center]. Obviously, the level of basketball’s been great this year. I feel like I’ve had a chance to see Angel Reese a couple of times, and I called a really impressive game for her last week. I’ve got the Valkyries again this week, and the Liberty this week, so, from a level-of-play standpoint, it’s fun basketball. The players make it really easy to want to show up and tell their stories. The folks at Amazon care so deeply about the NBA and the WNBA, and those two are very much married.”
How hectic has your broadcasting schedule been recently?
“Wednesday morning, I flew from New York to Kansas City for MLS. Thursday morning, I flew to Los Angeles to cover the WNBA. I drove overnight to San Diego to cover the NWSL Friday night. I took the red-eye through Atlanta to Cincinnati to cover the Bengals Saturday night. Then I flew Sunday morning to Fort Lauderdale to cover an NWSL game for CBS Sports Network at two o’clock. I was on an eight o’clock flight home last night and walked through my door around midnight. Yeah, I’ve done some pretty wild runs over the years, but that one’s going to be near the top of the list.”
Name dropping Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” track titles in a NWSL match?! @MikeWattsOnAir has done it again 🧡 pic.twitter.com/f8gqIaoNxG
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 16, 2025
What is it like to call NFL preseason games?
“You want to give everyone your full attention because if you are the 80th guy on the roster, it’s still the most important game you’ve ever played. If it matters to the players, it should matter to the broadcasters. I think fans can understand what this means for individuals who have always dreamed of playing in the NFL. This may be the first time they have really had to battle it out for an opportunity to continue playing the game they love. It’s been a real joy doing this over the last 10 years because the folks at the Bengals have been so easy to work with.”
What led you to name songs from Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl‘ during an NWSL broadcast?
“The reaction is nice, but we’re really just trying to entertain and have a good time, and to let that translate into the broadcast, not step out of line with calling the game, and allow our joy and excitement to be creative and have a good time, reaching out to people who are watching.”