About this episode
In this episode, Mike Grabowski interviews Michael Blanchard about how React Native supports the NFL's multi-platform ecosystem and the engineering challenges faced.
The NFL runs on tight deadlines. Every kickoff and Super Bowl demands that millions of fans get flawless live video, stats, and fantasy features, whether they’re on iPhones, Xboxes, or connected TVs. In this episode of React Universe On Air, Mike Grabowski talks with Michael Blanchard (Director of Engineering at the NFL), about how React Native became the backbone of this high-pressure, multi-platform ecosystem. Michael shares his journey from web engineer to leading NFL’s engineering teams across nfl.com, three mobile apps, a cross-platform video player, and a suite of connected TV apps. Together with Mike, he explores the NFL’s migration strategy, the transition from Haul/Webpack to Metro and Expo, and the cultural shifts that helped merge web and native engineers into one collaborative team. You’ll learn: ➡️ Why the NFL went full Greenfield (twice) ➡️ How NFL+ shaped their second rewrite ➡️ Lessons from moving from Haul/Webpack to Metro ➡️ How Expo SDKs gradually replaced community libraries ➡️ How GitHub Actions + EAS Build reshaped their CI/CD pipeline ➡️ Strategies for handling 20–30 PRs daily in a monorepo ➡️ How React Native powers mobile, web, and multiple connected TVs…
People in this episode
Host: Mike Grabowski
Guest: Michael Blanchard
Topics covered
- React Native
- NFL engineering
- cross-platform development
- CI/CD pipeline
- mobile apps
- video streaming
- collaboration
Keywords
- React Native
- NFL
- cross-platform
- CI/CD
- mobile development
- Expo
- Metro
- Haul/Webpack
- GitHub Actions
- video player
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NFL, nfl.com
Products: React Native, Expo, Metro, Haul/Webpack, GitHub Actions, EAS Build
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