Comparison, as they say, is the thief of joy. No one is in the same place at the same time on the same track, and comparing yourself to someone else is a quick way to make yourself miserable. However, that’s where Nate Burleson finds himself right now. He’s being compared religiously these days to Michael Strahan, and we do understand why. Both Burleson and Strahan are former NFL football players. They are former sports commentators. They are funny. Fans love them both. And, they both moved from playing sports to talking about sports on television to heading to morning television as a news anchor rather than a sports commentator, and now they are both bona fide journalists. It makes sense that people are comparing Burleson to Strahan, even if Strahan got his start as a morning news anchor long before Burleson. However, those not in the know what to know more about both stars, and we have what you need to know right here.
Who is Michael Strahan?
Born on November 21, 1971, Michael Anthony Strahan was born in Houston, Texas, the son of a basketball coach and a retired Army Major, and he is the nephew of former football player Art Strahan. He was the youngest of six kids, and he grew up playing sports and attended Texas Southern University to play football. By the time he reached his third year in the game, he was already on the minds of many NFL scouts, and his career was only just getting started. Over the course of his approximately 15 years in the NFL, he played for one team – the New York Giants. The Giants drafted Strahan in 1993, but he only played six games due to an injury. He spent the next three years doing a lot of nothing remarkable in the NFL, but that turned around in 1997. It’s as if he got his second wind, and that was a game-changer for the start. He’s earned many accolades over the course of his 15-year career, but it was in 2007 when he was ending his professional football career that he took the Giants to the Superbowl. They played against the talented New England Patriots (and quarterback Tom Brady) during that game, and Strahan took home his first, last, and only Super Bowl ring on the last night of his entire NFL career.
Following his career in the NFL, the star joined “Fox NFL Sunday,” in 2008 as a commentator alongside some of the most famous names in sports history. By 2010, he was given a chance to sit alongside Kelly Ripa on “Live with Regis and Kelly,” on a day the late Regis Philbin was out. Fans adored seeing the two together, and he was the man chosen to replace Regis Philbin in 2012. He co-hosted the famous morning show until 2016 when he left the morning show to work full time on “Good Morning America,” where he was a frequent guest host. By 2018, he was co-hosting “GMA Day,” which would become “Strahan and Sara,” by 2019. He also began co-hosting “Fox NFL Thursday,” in 2018. He’s done many other things, in his time on television.
Who is Nate Burleson?
Born a decade after Michael Strahan on August 19, 1981, is Nate Burleson. He was born in Canada to former football player Al Burleson. Like Strahan, sports runs in the family. He also has another brother who played college football, and he has two brothers who played basketball – one of which played in the NBA at the same time Burleson was playing in the NFL. He played in college for the University of Nevada (where he met his track star wife), before being drafted into the NFL in 2003. Unlike Strahan, however, he did not spend his entire career with one team. He spent three years with the Minnesota Vikings, four years with the Seattle Seahawks, and his final four years with the Detroit Lions for a total of 11 years in the NFL. Unlike Strahan, he did not get to take home a Super Bowl ring during his career, despite the fact that it was a hugely successful career. Following the end of his NFL career, he took a job as an analyst with the NFL Network. He then took a job with the Lions as one of their own commentators in 2015. By 2016, he was co-hosting “Good Morning Football,” alongside three other co-hosts. In 2017, he began working on “The NFL Today,” and he finally took over the role of host on “CBS This Morning,” in 2021. Much like Strahan, he’s also taken on a few side jobs hosting some game shows.
The Comparison
At the moment, there is a lot to compare between these two historically successful football players turned television hosts turned morning news journalists. While there is a decade head start in the game for Strahan, it’s easy to see that he’s managed to do a lot in his journalism career in the past ten years, and it makes us all wonder what Nate Burleson will be doing in ten years. These two superstars are larger than life, their fans love them, and they are both headed in the right direction. It’s easy to see why fans are comparing the two, and we are certain neither one minds.Michael Strahan
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